Video above: Deputy Sheriff Gilbert Atchard, spokesman for the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives an update on the search for Joseph A. Couch on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024.
London, Kentucky (W.D.K.Y.Associated Press) Authorities say they have found a vehicle belonging to the suspect in a shooting on a Kentucky interstate Saturday and a firearm that may have been involved, but the suspect remains at large.
Authorities were scouring the rugged hills north of London, a community of about 8,000 people about 75 miles south of Lexington, on Sunday searching for 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch.
Couch, who was charged earlier this year with a misdemeanor count of making terroristic threats that was later dropped, is from Woodbine, a small town about 20 miles south of the shooting scene, according to court records.
He was initially considered a suspect after authorities found an SUV registered to him on a service road near the scene of Saturday's riot on Interstate 75.
“Based on everything we've learned so far, Couch has become a suspect,” Deputy Sheriff Gilbert Atcharo, a spokesman for the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, told reporters Sunday afternoon.
Authorities found a rifle case inside the SUV. On Sunday, near where the SUV was found, authorities found a semi-automatic rifle. The gun was in a wooded area on high ground adjacent to the highway “that allowed it to be fired off on the interstate from there,” Acciardo said.
he” [Couch] He is the one who fired the gun.” Federal authorities are assisting in examining the evidence.
On Saturday evening, the Laurel County Sheriff's Office was called to a portion of the interstate near London. Reports of gunfire.
When officers arrived on scene, they found multiple vehicles parked off the side of the freeway at Exit 49. Aciardo said an individual “who was off that exit” fired multiple rounds into the northbound and southbound lanes, hitting nine vehicles and wounding five people. The shooter was not in any of the vehicles at the time.
The injured, one from Kentucky and the others from out of state, were taken to a hospital early Sunday in stable condition, Aciardo said. Some sustained “very serious injuries,” including one person who was shot in the face.
Two other people were injured in the vehicle accident, he said.
Atchard said the shooting appeared to be a “random act of violence” and declined to speculate on a motive. Authorities believe there was only one shooter, and Atchard said he does not believe the shooting was motivated by road rage.
Investigators were still searching for Couch as of Sunday afternoon.
“We don't know where he is,” Acciardo told reporters, adding that Couch is likely still in the area being searched, but could be elsewhere. “He couldn't have picked a more remote and more difficult area for us to search.”
Still, Achardo stressed that authorities still believe Couch is in the area they are searching for.
Couch is considered armed and dangerous and authorities are urging the public not to approach him. Anyone with information regarding Couch's location or whereabouts is asked to contact the London-Laurel County 911 Center at 911 or 606-878-7000.
“We're hoping to get him tonight,” Acciardo told reporters Sunday afternoon. “And we'd like to get him before it gets dark again, but I can't promise anything. We're going to try our best.”
Laurel County residents grew anxious as authorities searched on foot Sunday through a remote, wooded area near the highway that is home to just one business and a few homes. The London-Laurel Rescue Squad sent a drone to help. Laurel County deputies urged local residents to stay home during the search.
“We've had numerous calls from all over the county, and we're still receiving them this morning,” Acciardo said of calls from concerned local residents. “This is a remote area. If he wanted to target a place to do something like this, this was the perfect place.”
Pastor Rodney Goodlett of the Faith Assembly of God Church in London, where he helped direct traffic for congregants at the Sunday morning service, said he expected attendance to be reduced because of the searches.
“Certainly, there are some people who may not be here today who are feeling anxious because the suspect is still at large,” he said.
Goodlett said congregants plan to pray for local residents, the injured and first responders, including some who attend the weekly Faith Assembly, where about 275 congregants pray.
“When someone suddenly becomes violent, it's obviously a tragedy,” he said. “You see it happening all over the country in the media, but when it happens to you, it's a bit of a wake-up call.”
“The scene is currently sealed off. This investigation is fluid. We have law enforcement personnel still on scene. We have special response teams on scene. We are searching for the shooter,” he said.
Sheriff's officials in Laurel County urged area residents to stay home as police continue to search for the shooter.
“This was certainly a senseless act of violence that does not reflect the values of this community, this commonwealth and its people,” they said in a statement.
London Mayor Randall Weddle tried to ease public fears as the search for the shooter continued in a Facebook video late Saturday night, urging residents to call 911 if they heard or saw anything suspicious near their homes.
Below: The mayor of London, Kentucky, gives an update on the shooting on the city's livestream.YeahFacebook page
“I ask everyone, if there is an active shooter situation, please do not leave your home because there may be emergency responders in the area. It's important that you know you are safe. We have multiple agencies in the area, in the city of London and in Laurel County,” Weddle said.
Weddle said searchers “know the general location where this individual is located,” but did not provide specific details.
“I'm receiving initial reports from Kentucky State Police and Homeland Security. Together, we are actively monitoring the situation and providing all assistance we can. Please pray for all involved,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a post on social platform X.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
