SPRINGFIELD (AP) — Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says the attack that killed five police officers and wounded seven others during a protest in Dallas is “outrageous” and that police “deserve our respect and support.”

In a statement Friday, the governor says the fatal shootings by police of black men in Minnesota in Louisiana that led to the protests also are “deeply distressing.”

Rauner says the events speak to a lack of unity and trust in many communities and “underscores the urgency in addressing that lack of trust.”

Snipers shot the officers Thursday evening as hundreds of people gathered to protest shootings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and suburban St. Paul, Minnesota. Two civilians were also injured.