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Attorney General Eric Holder says he will offer full resources in finding the perpetrators who shot two police officers in Ferguson, Mo. (Reuters)

A day after two police officers were shot in Ferguson, Mo., Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. forcefully denounced what he called the heinous and cowardly attacks, saying that the shooting of two police officers should not impact the progress the city has made in recent days.

What happened last night was a pure ambush, Holder said on Thursday afternoon. This was not someone trying to bring healing to Ferguson. This was a damn punk, a punk, who was trying to sow discord.

Holders remarks came as police in Ferguson are still investigating the shooting outside the Ferguson Police Departments headquarters early Thursday morning, which seriously injured two police officers. No suspects have been taken into custody, but police said they are questioning people in the area.

These are people who protect us, keep us safe. and they have the right, they have the right to come home at night, he said during remarks in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Seeing this attack last night kind of turned my stomach.

Holdersbrief statement Thursday was one of the last times he will speak publicly before stepping down as attorney general. His comments about the attack as cowardly is particularly noteworthy, because intentionally or not, it evokes language he gave in one of his first speechesin the position.

In a 2009 speech,Holder called the United States a nation of cowards because of how it failed to appropriately reckon with the countrys problematic racial history. These comments were controversial for many, but he defended them last year, saying again that the country was afraid of openly confronting racial issues.

On Thursday, Holder praised Fergusonsleadership for taking good faith steps to move in a new direction recently. Ferguson has parted ways this week with its police chief, city manager and municipal judge, three key figures who were named and criticized in a scathing Justice Department report that found widespread racial bias and predatory behavior in the citys police department and court system. When the report was released last week, Holder said it captured a highly toxic environment, defined by mistrust and resentment.

Make no mistake, we still have a long way to go to bring about the systemic change thats needed, Holder said Thursday. But I think the early indications have been positive.

Holder was speaking during a news conference at the U.S. Department of Justiceto announce cities that would work with the Justice Departments National Initiative for Building Community and Trust, which intends to help improve relationships between police officers and the communities they serve.

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Holder: Ferguson shooting was an ambush carried out by a damn punk

Attorney General Eric Holder denounces the shootings of Ferguson, Mo., officers and announces six pilot cities for a community trust and justice initiative. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

Attorney General Eric Holder denounces the shootings of Ferguson, Mo., officers and announces six pilot cities for a community trust and justice initiative.

Attorney General Eric Holder has condemned the unknown assailant who shot two police officers overnight in Ferguson, Mo., as a "punk who was trying to sow discord" and said he hoped the "disgusting and cowardly attack" would not unravel the progress the community is making to restore trust in the police and the municipal courts there.

At a news conference in Washington, Holder announced the latest steps in his campaign to restore trust in law enforcement, including six pilot sites to test strategies for strengthening bonds between citizens and police. Those sites are Birmingham, Ala.; Stockton, Calif.; Gary, Ind.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Fort Worth, Texas.

The pilot programs are intended to facilitate racial reconciliation, reduce implicit bias in policing, and affirm the idea of procedural justice that the way law enforcement officers treat people in everyday interactions is as important as the outcome of those interactions, such as arrests and convictions.

"There's research that suggests that when people feel like they were treated respectfully by the police, that goes a long way towards community trust, regardless of the outcome," said Nancy LaVigne, director of the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute, which will conduct research as part of the federal grant.

Holder, who is likely to retire after six years in office as early as next week, when the Senate votes on his successor, said his efforts on policing in no way were intended to cast all law enforcement officers in a negative light.

"My brother's a retired law enforcement officer and he always tells me that cops have the right to come home at night, you know?" Holder said.

He said authorities in Missouri will have the full support and resources of the federal government as they investigate the shooting near the Ferguson Police Department. The officers who were shot have been released from the hospital.

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U.S. Attorney General Holder Denounces Police Shootings In Missouri

Last Updated Mar 12, 2015 2:20 PM EDT

Attorney General Eric Holder harshly condemned the "damn punk" responsible for shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Missouri early Thursday morning, saying the incident "turned my stomach."

"What happened last night was a pure ambush," Holder said. "This was not someone trying to bring healing to Ferguson, this was a damn punk who was trying to sow discord."

"I want to be very clear here: I unequivocally condemn these repugnant attacks," Holder said. "All of us in the law enforcement family and all Americans across the country are praying for the safe recovery" of the two officers who were shot.

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Police in Ferguson, Missouri, are searching for at least one gunman who shot the officers overnight. The gunfire happened during a protest outsid...

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The St. Louis County police chief says two of his officers were "ambushed" when they were shot in Ferguson, Missouri. CBS News correspondent Dean...

In an earlier statement, Holder said the shooting threatens "the very reforms that nonviolent protesters in Ferguson and around the country have been working towards for the past several months."

The two officers were shot during a protest that came just hours after Ferguson's police chief, Thomas Jackson, resigned in the wake of a Justice Department report that found widespread patterns of racial bias in the Ferguson police force. Neither of the two officers was a member of the Ferguson force, though - one was a St. Louis County police officer, and another was from a nearby department in Webster Groves. They both remain in serious condition at a local hospital.

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Holder: "Damn punk" responsible for shooting cops in Ferguson

TIME U.S. Ferguson Shooter Is a Damn Punk, Eric Holder Says Chip SomodevillaGetty Images U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder delivers remarks about the shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Mo., while announcing the first six pilot sites for the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on March 12, 2015 The Attorney General offered the Justice Department's support in the manhunt for the shooter of two Ferguson police officers

The gunman who wounded two police officers in Ferguson, Mo., is a damn punk, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday.

The two officers were shot early Thursday morning at a protest in front of the Ferguson Police Department after the Ferguson police chief announced his resignation in the wake of a excoriating Department of Justice report that found widespread racial bias among the citys police. The shooter was still at large as of Thursday afternoon.

This was not someone trying to bring healing to Ferguson, Holder said at a gathering for the Justice Departments launch of a pilot program to build trust between law enforcement and local communities. This was a damn punk who was trying to sow discord in an area thats trying to get its act together and trying to bring together a community that has been fractured for too long.

The Attorney General reiterated a statement he released earlier in the day condemning the heinous attack and offering the support of the Justice Department and the FBI.

He also said that local law enforcement in Ferguson has made good faith steps since the release of the Justice Department report last week.

But make no mistake, we still have a long way to go to bring about this systemic change that is needed and that is long overdue in that area, he said. But I think the earlier indications have truly been positive.

Read next: The Road from Selma to Ferguson

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Ferguson Shooter Is a Damn Punk, Eric Holder Says

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on March 4, 2015
The U.S. Department of Justice conducted an extensive investigation of the Ferguson, MO police department which ended up being expanded to areas with the general municipality. The finding...

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U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on March 4, 2015 - Video