Gov. Nathan Deal has responded to the shooting of two Georgia Department of Corrections officers Tuesday with this simple promise: “Fugitives will be brought to justice.”

Deal, a lawyer and former juvenile court judge, sent out a rare news release about a criminal matter, saying he has “vowed to deploy every state resource necessary” to help capture the two inmates who escaped after allegedly killing the guards transporting them.

“Today, two families lost everything in a heinous and senseless act of violence perpetrated at the hands of cowards,” Deal said. “Words do not adequately express our sorrow in losing Sergeant Christopher Monica and Sergeant Curtis Billue in the line of duty. The selflessness and courage of these two brave souls will not be forgotten, nor will their sacrifice and service. Sandra and I mourn alongside their families and communities, and we offer our deepest sympathies to their loved ones. Our heartbreak is matched only in our resolve to bring their murderers to justice. No effort will be spared in pursuit of the killers, and no state resources required in this endeavor will be spared.”