WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder is condemning the shooting deaths of two New York City police officers as senseless and an "unspeakable act of barbarism."

The officers were shot Saturday in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Authorities say the gunman later killed himself.

In a statement Saturday night, Holder calls the attack "cowardly" and says it underscores the dangers that are routinely faced by those who protect and serve their fellow citizens.

Holder praises law enforcement officers as courageous men and women who routinely incur tremendous personal risks, and place their lives on the line every day to preserve public safety. He says all Americans are forever in their debt.