Attorney General Eric Holder denounced the shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Mo., in a statement on Thursday.
“This heinous assault on two brave law enforcement officers was inexcusable and repugnant. I condemn violence against any public safety officials in the strongest terms, and the Department of Justice will never accept any threats or violence directed at those who serve and protect our communities,” Holder said.
Two officers, one from the St. Louis County Police Department, the other from West Grove, sustained serious injuries after they were shot during a protest in Ferguson early Thursday morning. Some protesters believed that the Ferguson police chief’s resignation, which was announced on Wednesday, did not go far enough following the scathing Justice Department report on the department’s conduct.
Holder said on Thursday that the shooting did not help the city of Ferguson as it recovers from the shooting of Michael Brown and the DOJ investigation into the police department’s actions.
“Such senseless acts of violence threaten the very reforms that nonviolent protesters in Ferguson and around the country have been working towards for the past several months,” Holder said. “We wish these injured officers a full and speedy recovery. We stand ready to offer any possible aid to an investigation into this incident, including the department’s full range of investigative resources.”
