Search for suspect believed to have wounded 5 people in shooting near Kentucky highway
A manhunt is underway early Sunday as police searched for a gunman in a rural area of southeastern Kentucky who is believed to have shot and wounded five people near Interstate 75.
The Laurel County Sheriff's Office said they are looking for 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch, who they said is a person of interest. Although they said they could not name him as a suspect in Saturday's shootings along Interstate 75, authorities were searching for him in a remote area north of London, a community of about 8,000 people roughly 75 miles south of Lexington.
"We're going to go in and we're going to find this guy," Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, told reporters Sunday.
The shooting on Saturday happened around 5 p.m. local time. The Laurel County Sheriff's Office reported that "numerous people were shot" near the highway.
Acciardo said when troopers arrived at the scene they found numerous vehicles on the side of the highway at Exit 49. An individual who was "off that exit" fired multiple rounds into the northbound and southbound lanes, striking nine vehicles and wounding five people, he said. The shooter was not in a vehicle at the time.
"When our first two units got to the scene there, they said it was a madhouse: people on the sides of the road, emergency flashers going, bullet holes, windows shot out, nine vehicles shot. Can you imagine that? Just chaotic," he said Sunday during a news conference.
Five people were shot and all were in stable condition Sunday evening, although some of the victims had "very serious" injuries, including one person who was shot in the face, Acciardo said. Another victim's arm was seriously wounded, authorities said Sunday evening.
A spokesperson for the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington told CBS News on Saturday night that it had received at least two patients from the incident.
Authorities said Sunday they do not believe specific people were targeted in the shooting but that the shooter instead chose the location.
Authorities consider Couch to be armed and dangerous, and they cautioned members of the public who might spot him not to approach him. Acciardo said law enforcement got a "lucky break" that led them to zero in on Couch as a person of interest, but that he couldn't elaborate.
The sheriff's office said Sunday that a silver SUV registered to Couch was found Saturday night and authorities found a rifle case inside. An "AR rifle" was then found Sundya near where the car was found, the sheriff's office said.
Although that rifle was recovered, authorities said Sunday they're still concerned Couch may have another.
In a video update on Facebook late Saturday night, London Mayor Randall Weddle tried to calm fears as the search continued for the gunman. He urged residents to call 911 if they hear or see anything suspicious near their homes.
"We're asking folks please do not go outside your home shooting because we might have first responders in that area. It's important to know you are safe. We have multiple agencies in this community, in the city of London and in Laurel County," Weddle said.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms responded to assist state and local police with a "critical incident" near I-75, the agency said.
No further details on the incident were immediately provided
Rodney Goodlett, pastor of Faith Assembly of God in London, was helping direct traffic as parishioners gathered for a service Sunday morning. He said he expected the search to hold down attendance.
"There's definitely people … that probably won't be here today — just nervous with the suspect still at large," he said.
Goodlett said the congregation was going to pray for the community, the wounded and the first responders, some of whom attend Faith Assembly, where around 275 parishioners pray each week.
"This is tragic, obviously, that somebody would randomly do violent acts," he said. "You hear media things taking place all around our country, but then when it hits home, it's a little bit of a wake-up call."
Authorities believe there was only one shooter, and Acciardo said they do not think the shooting was sparked by road rage. Authorities released a photo of Couch and warned residents to be on the lookout, but Acciardo cautioned that they "have not determined that this is the individual that fired the weapon."
"We do have the area contained right now. It's a very fluid investigation. Our people are still on the scene. Our special response team is there. We are trying to find a shooter there," he said.
Acciardo said the search s dangerous for first responders and is painstaking because of thick foliage There are "a lot of woods, a lot of cuts in the rock," he said. "He could be hiding behind a tree and us walk right up on him."
"We're just hoping for a good resolution," Acciardo said.
