Manhunt intensifies for I-75 shooting spree suspect who wounded 5, hit a dozen vehicles

Law enforcement has intensified its manhunt for a suspect who went on a Saturday shooting spree on interstate 75 near London, Kentucky.

The shooter fired an AR-15 from a cliff ledge on the side of the interstate about nine miles north of London — roughly 90 miles south of Lexington — around 5:30 p.m. The shooter struck 12 cars and wounded five people, including one who was shot in the face.

'We’re not going to quit until we do lay hands on him.'

“A couple of our deputies, because of the severity of the injuries, loaded the people up, the injured persons, and transported them to London Hospital,” said Laurel County Sheriff John Root.

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo said Sunday that none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries and all were in stable condition. Two additional people were injured in a car crash that occurred during the shooting, police said.

Authorities immediately shut down I-75 in both directions because the shooter's location wasn't known.

“We couldn’t risk somebody else being shot,” Root stated.

I-75 reopened around 9:30 p.m. the same day.

Police initially named 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch as a person of interest in the shooting but elevated him to a suspect Sunday afternoon. Investigators said they found an AR-15 rifle and Couch's car in the vicinity of the shooting.

The decision to name Couch a suspect was based on evidence collected, the recovery of the weapon, Couch’s vehicle, and “some information” that Root could not share at the time.

Couch served in the National Guard for four years in an engineer battalion, according to Laurel County Sheriff's Captain Richard Dalrymple.

Couch has a “very minimal” criminal record in Kentucky, according to Jackie Steele, the commonwealth’s attorney for the 27th Judicial Circuit. Couch previously was charged with terroristic threatening, but the charge was dismissed earlier this year, Steele said.

On Monday, Couch was charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of assault in an arrest warrant. Couch could face other, less serious charges, such as property damage and wanton endangerment.

Couch — of Woodbine, Kentucky — is described as standing 5'10" and weighing 154 pounds.

The sheriff's office said Couch is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

Dalrymple said at Sunday night’s news briefing that Couch purchased a gun and about 1,000 rounds of ammunition just hours before the shooting.

"He obtained a firearm at a local place here in London," Root said, adding that it was a legal purchase.

'You need to lock your doors. If you have security cameras, make sure you’re constantly watching them; maybe keep your porch lights on. Have your cell phone and make sure your phones are charged upm because you never know when you might have to contact somebody or law enforcement.'

Investigators searched Couch's house Sunday night, Dalrymple said.

Kentucky State Police took over the search for Couch on Sunday night, while the Laurel County Sheriff's Office will handle the criminal investigation. The FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting with the investigation.

Couch is believed to be in the the vast, densely wooded area near the shooting scene.

Police are using helicopters, drones, K-9 teams, and ground crews to scour the area.

Kentucky State Police spokesperson Scottie Pennington noted, “You can’t do it very fast because you don’t want to leave [any] rock unturned. You don’t know if he’s in that area. So you’ve gotta be very slow-paced at what you do.”

Root declared, “We’re not going to quit until we do lay hands on him. This effort is not going to stop.”

Police said it does not appear that the shooter was targeting specific people, but Acciardo said the attack did appear to be “a planned event.” Police have not released any information regarding a motive in the shooting.

Pennington advised local residents, “You need to lock your doors. If you have security cameras, make sure you’re constantly watching them; maybe keep your porch lights on. Have your cell phone and make sure your phones are charged up, because you never know when you might have to contact somebody or law enforcement.”

As the search for the I-75 shooter has entered its third day, authorities closed schools as a precaution. More than a dozen area school districts and several other private schools in Laurel, Jackson, and Clay Counties canceled classes Monday.

Republican Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers on Sunday released a statement about the shooting.

“Our first responders have been working around the clock now for over 24 hours to locate the suspect accused of turning I-75 in Laurel County into a dangerous firing range on Saturday, injuring five people," Rogers began. "Thankfully, local police have confirmed that no further shots have been fired today and all the shooting victims are in stable condition."

Rogers pointed out that semitruck drivers protected students pinned down in school buses on the highway.

“I also want to applaud all the unsung heroes who aided victims before first responders arrived on the scene, the semitruck drivers who surrounded school buses to protect our students stuck on the interstate for hours, and those who have donated water and food to the central command post to support our brave first responders," Rogers stated.

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