A manhunt is underway for an “armed and dangerous” suspect in connection with a mass shooting Saturday night near a highway in Kentucky that seriously injured five people.
Deputies are searching for Joseph A. Couch, 32, in remote woods near the scene of the shooting on Interstate 75. Couch is described as white, 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 154 pounds, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, which shared a picture of him on Facebook.
Couch was initially referred to as a person of interest but was upgraded to a suspect Sunday afternoon after authorities processed his silver Toyota SUV found near the scene Saturday.
An AR-15 believed to be the weapon used in the shooting was found near the vehicle Sunday afternoon, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The weapon was found in “a location that you could have shot down upon the interstate from that wooded location,” Sheriff’s Deputy Gilbert Acciardo said. The semiautomatic rifle was being processed, he said.
A gun case and several charged magazines were also found in the SUV, Acciardo said. The gunman was not in a vehicle at the time of the shooting and is believed to have acted alone, the deputy said.
Deputies found nine vehicles had been shot into in both the north and southbound lanes of Interstate 75, the sheriff’s office said. All five injured victims had been shot. Acciardo, who did not identify the victims, said Sunday that the most seriously injured include a person shot in the face, another shot in the arm and a third shot across the chest.
All are stable and expected to survive, he added.
London Mayor Randall Weddle said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that the victims were still being treated at hospitals. “Some of them are severe,” he said.
All victims are Kentucky residents, one of them from nearby Bell County. None are believed to be London or Laurel County residents, Weddle said.
A stretch of the interstate 8 miles north of the small city of London was temporarily shut down Saturday night amid the law enforcement response.
Acciardo said the shooter’s actions were “sniper-like” and warned residents to “stay vigilant.” It’s not clear what the shooter’s motive was; Acciardo called it “a random act.”
“This is not a road rage incident,” Acciardo said. He had previously said some victims were from out of state, though Weddle later said all are Kentucky residents.
Acciardo said Sunday the shooter’s level of planning is an important but unknown factor.
“We don’t know the level of planning,” he said. “What has he got with him? Depends on how committed he is.”
Authorities searching the area also found a cellphone believed to belong to the suspect. Its battery had been removed, thwarting efforts so far to obtain some of its data, Acciardo said.
“We can’t get nothing out of it,” he said.
Law enforcement officials believe the suspect has remained in the area based on information that can’t yet be revealed to the public, Acciardo said during a Sunday evening news conference.
That the suspect could have fled beyond the perimeter was “very possible, but not probable,” Acciardo said. Unless investigators receive a credible tip that places the suspect outside the perimeter, authorities at the scene are staying put, he said.
“We gotta get him,” Acciardo said. “He left his rifle behind. That’s huge. He has to have another weapon, right?”
Acciardo continued, “We don’t want him to cause another incident like this if we can prevent it.”
Around 50 to 60 law enforcement officers searched for Couch until 3 a.m., and a smaller, more specialized group resumed the search around 9 a.m., Acciardo said earlier in the day.
The biggest danger, he said, is darkness. The woods where the suspect might be are surrounded, but the active search is likely to pause come nightfall, he said.
“He’s out there,” Acciardo said. “He’s behind a tree or under a rock cliff, something. We can’t be in the woods [at night] because it’s too dangerous.”
Acciardo said authorities are prepared should Couch show his face in darkness, noting that among the law enforcement officials on the ground are “SRT” members, an initialism for Special Response Team, indicating SWAT-style training. State police and several local departments have SRT personnel.
“We’re doing everything that we possibly can to bring this guy to justice,” Acciardo said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
