LONDON, Kentucky — Authorities were searching Sunday for a man they believe may be connected to a shooting that left nine vehicles shot and five people injured on a highway in rural southeastern Kentucky.
While they said they could not yet identify him as a suspect in Saturday’s shootings along busy Interstate 75, authorities said they considered 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch a “person of interest” and were searching for him in a remote area of rugged, hilly terrain north of London, a community of about 8,000 people about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Lexington.
“We’re going to go in and we’re going to find this man,” Deputy Sheriff Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesman for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, told reporters on Sunday.
Authorities consider Couch, who is white, armed and dangerous and are warning anyone who sees him not to go near him.
Acciardo said authorities were notified of gunfire along the freeway at Exit 49 around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. A person “off that exit” fired multiple rounds into the northbound and southbound lanes, hitting nine vehicles and wounding five people, he said.
“When our first two units arrived, they said it was a madhouse: people on the side of the road, emergency lights on, bullet holes, broken windows, nine vehicles shot at. Can you imagine? Just chaotic,” Acciardo said at a news conference.
The wounded were hospitalized in stable condition early Sunday. Some had “very serious” injuries, including one person who was shot in the face, Acciardo said.
Laurel County residents were on edge as authorities searched on foot Sunday in a remote wooded area near the highway, where only one business and a few homes are nearby. The London Laurel Rescue brigade sent in a drone to help. Laurel County state lawmakers urged area residents to stay home during the search.
“We’ve had numerous calls throughout the region and we’re still getting them this morning,” Acciardo said, of calls from concerned community members. “This is a remote area. If he wanted to target a place where he wanted to do something like this, this was the perfect place.”
Authorities believe there was only one shooter, and Acciardo said they do not believe the shooting was motivated by road rage. Authorities released a photo of Couch and warned residents to be on the lookout, but Acciardo cautioned that they “have not yet determined that this is the individual who fired the weapon.”
“We have the area under control 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.
In a video update on Facebook late Saturday night, London Mayor Randall Weddle attempted to calm fears, urging residents to call 911 if they see or hear anything suspicious near their home.
“We’re asking people to please not go outside your home and shoot because we may have first responders in that area. It’s important to know that you’re 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 providing support in any way we can,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a message on X. “Please keep everyone involved in this in your prayers.”
