Drivers park on the lanes of the I-75 highway after reports of multiple people being shot while driving down the interstate highway near London, Ky., on Sept. 7.Rich Brimer/Reuters
Authorities searched a rugged and hilly area of southeastern Kentucky on Sunday for a man suspected in the shooting of nine vehicles and wounding of five people on a busy highway.
Joseph A. Couch, 32, was named a suspect in Saturday’s shootings on Interstate 75 after authorities recovered his SUV on a service road near the crime scene. They later found a semi-automatic weapon nearby that they believe was used in the shooting, said Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office.
The search was focused on the remote area around where the shootings happened, which is north of London, a community of about 8,000 people roughly 120 kilometres south of Lexington.
“We’re going to go in and we’re going to find this guy,” Acciardo told reporters as law enforcement raced to find Couch before darkness fell in the remote, densely forested area.
Authorities consider Couch to be armed and dangerous, and they cautioned members of the public who might spot him not to approach him.
Couch is from Woodbine, a small community about 32 kilometres south of the shooting scene. Acciardo said law enforcement zeroed in on him Saturday after they found his abandoned vehicle. Investigators found an AR-15 rifle on Sunday in an elevated wooded area next to highway “that he could have shot down upon the interstate from,” Acciardo said.
Couch was initially considered a person of interest in the case until he was upgraded to a suspect on Sunday based on the “totality of everything” law enforcement has found out so far, Acciardo said.
Authorities believe there was only one shooter, and Acciardo said they do not think the shooting was sparked by road rage. He said the shooting appeared to be a “random act” of violence, and wouldn’t speculate as to a possible motive.
“There’s been some speculation, but we’re not ready to address that at this point,” he said.
Acciardo said authorities were notified at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday about gunshots along the highway near 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,” Acciardo said during a news conference.
The wounded – one person from Kentucky and the others from out of state – were hospitalized in stable condition early Sunday. Some had “very serious” injuries, including one who was shot in the face, Acciardo said.
Residents of Laurel County were on edge as authorities searched with a drone, helicopter and on foot in a remote and sparsely populated wooded area near the highway.
Acciardo said authorities had been “bombarded” with a hundred or more calls from people claiming to have seen Couch at places including a grocery store. State lawmakers from Laurel County urged residents in the area to stay home during the search.
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. Several local churches cancelled their services.
“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.”
Cody Shepherd, who was sipping a bloody mary outside while waiting to watch a football game at the Pour Boyz Sports Lounge in London on Sunday, said rumours had been running rampant locally as the search progressed.
Shepard, who lives in London, was at a party on Saturday at a friend’s house about 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of where the shooting occurred.
“We were listening to the police scanners all night,” he said, adding that they heard police sirens wail throughout the evening and saw a helicopter searching the area overhead.
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 is 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.
In an video update on Facebook late Saturday night, London Mayor Randall Weddle tried to calm fears. 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.
Weddle said searchers “know the general area where this individual is,” but he would not release specific details.
“I am receiving initial reports from the Kentucky State Police and our Office of Homeland Security – together we are actively monitoring the situation and offering support in any way possible,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a post on X. “Please pray for everyone involved.”