A Texas TV meteorologist was shot multiple times outside his station's station, and the gunman is still at large, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

KCEN-TV weatherman Patrick Crawford is undergoing surgery at a local hospital, the NBC affiliate said.

Crawford had exchanged words with the suspect before the latter pulled a semi-automatic handgun and fired several times, the newspaper said. He drove away from the downtown studio and flagged down a construction worker who, in turn, called for help, according to KCEN.

The fugitive suspect is described as a 30- to 35-year-old white male with a receding hairline, KCEN said. He was wearing a black hoodie sweatshirt and dark jeans at the time of the shooting, the station added.

The Texas Department of Public Safety, as well as local police and sheriff's deputies, declared the the KCEN parking lot a crime scene and patrolled the area with assault rifles, the affiliate detailed. Officers entered the building and initially told employees not to step outside, and police helicopters were seen circling the field behind the station.

Meanwhile, schools in the Bruceville-Eddy Independent School District were placed on lockdown along with a local special-events center and administration building, the Waco Tribune-Herald added. The Moody Independent School District also implemented its "lock out" plan.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Harpin Myers told the newspaper that the Texas Rangers were leading the search for the suspect but have yet to detain the individual. "We have to check every avenue," Harpin said. The Texas Department of Transportation officials warned there could be road closures on or near Interstate because of the search.

Trooper D.L. Wilson, meanwhile, told the Associated Press that the victim, a two-year employee of KCEN, was in his vehicle when the suspect approached. The two argued, and then Crawford was shot, the news service said.

Gannett-owned KCEN covers the Central Texan cities of Waco, Temple and Killeen, and the attack occurred outside studios in Eddy, about 75 miles north of Austin.