AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - An assistant district attorney was shot and killed near a Dallas-area county courthouse Thursday morning and the suspects in the shooting remained at large, The Dallas Morning News reported.

The newspaper said two armed men ambushed the prosecutor at around 9 a.m. in Kaufman, Texas, a town of about 8,000 people 35 miles southeast of Dallas. Police were searching the area around the courthouse, it said.

Officials have not publicly released the name of the victim.

"Our understanding is he's deceased," said Jeff Stokes, chief of staff for state Representative Lance Gooden, who represents Kaufman County. "My understanding is the suspects are still at large," he added.

The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Reporting By Corrie MacLaggan; editing by John Wallace)