Kentucky I-75 shooting: How many victims are there and what is known about the shooter?
Law enforcement have found the vehicle and AR-15 gun of the suspect still at large in the I-75 mass shooting in Kentucky. Here is what is known so far.
The Laurel County, Kentucky, sheriff’s office on Saturday reported that several people were shot on Interstate 75. When deputies arrived on the scene, they found nine vehicles had been shot on both north and south bound sides of the highway forcing the closure of the road “for several hours for safety reasons because of the danger to passing cars in the area of the shootings.”
Five people were seriously wounded and taken to local hospital to be treated. Two others were injured in subsequent car crashes. “Investigation began and a lead was developed on a person of interest,” informed the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office on social media.
This afternoon Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Department told The Courier Journal that the person of interest in the shooting has been contained within their search area.
Kentucky I-75 shooting: What is known about the shooter?
The person of interest that authorities are searching for has been “identified as Joseph A. Couch age 32 of Woodbine, KY described as 5′10″ and weighing approximately 154 pounds,” according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. They are warning the public to consider him “to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached. 911 should be called.”
The shooting took place on I–75 at exit 49 approximately 8 miles north of London on Saturday afternoon. That night a small silver colored SUV registered to the suspected shooter was recovered off a US Forest Service Road near where the shooting took place. Inside the vehicle authorities recovered a gun case.
An AR-15 rifle was discovered in the vicinity of the vehicle near I-75 on Sunday afternoon. However, Couch has not yet been apprehended. London Laurel Rescue squad has sent their drone equipped with Flir to assist in the search.
As of Sunday afternoon, public schools in Laurel and Rockcastle Counties still haven’t decided if schools will be open or closed on Monday. They are waiting for law enforcement to provide more information about the shooting investigation.