Video above: Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office provides an update on the search for Joseph A. Couch on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024.
LONDON, Ky. (WDKY/AP) — Authorities say they’ve found a vehicle belonging to the suspect in Saturday’s shooting along a Kentucky interstate, as well as a firearm that may have been involved. The suspect, however, remains at large.
Authorities were searching a rugged and hilly area north of London, a community of about 8,000 people roughly 75 miles south of Lexington, on Sunday, looking for 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch.
Couch — who earlier this year faced a later-dropped misdemeanor charge for terroristic threatening, according to court records — is from Woodbine, a small community about 20 miles south of the shooting scene.
He was initially considered a person of interest after authorities found an SUV registered to him on a service road near where Saturday’s violence broke out on Interstate 75.
While speaking with reporters Sunday afternoon, Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, said Couch had become a suspect “due to the totality of everything that we’ve developed so far.”
In the SUV, authorities found a rifle case. On Sunday, while near where the SUV had been found, authorities recovered a semi-automatic weapon. The firearm was in an elevated wooded area next to the highway “that he could have shot down upon the interstate from,” Acciardo said.
He cautioned that they “have not determined that [Couch] is the individual that fired the weapon.” Federal authorities are helping to process the evidence.
Saturday evening, the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office was called to a portion of Interstate near London for a report of gunshots.
When they arrived at the scene, they found numerous vehicles on the side of the highway at 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, Acciardo said. The shooter was not in a vehicle at the time.
The wounded — one person from Kentucky and others from out of state — were hospitalized in stable condition early Sunday. Some had “very serious” injuries, including one person shot in the face, Acciardo said.
Two other people were hurt in the vehicle accident, he said.
Acciardo said the shooting appeared to be a “random act” of violence, and wouldn’t speculate as to a possible motive. Authorities believe there was only one shooter and Acciardo said they do not believe the shooting was sparked by road rage.
Investigators are continuing to search for Couch as of Sunday afternoon.
“We don’t know where he’s at,” Acciardo told reporter, noting that while they believe Couch is still in the area they’re searching, he could be somewhere else. “He couldn’t have picked an area that’s any more remote and difficult for us to try and locate him.”
Still, Acciardo emphasized that authorities still believe Couch is in the area they’re searching.
Couch is considered armed and dangerous, and authorities have advised the public not to attempt to approach him. Anyone with information regarding Couch’s whereabouts or location is asked to contact the London-Laurel County 911 Center by calling 911 or 606-878-7000.
“We want to get him tonight,” Acciardo told reporters Sunday afternoon. “We want to get him before it gets dark again, but no promises. We’re going to do our very best.”
Residents of Laurel County were on edge as authorities searched on foot Sunday in a remote wooded area near the highway that has only one business and a few houses nearby. London Laurel Rescue squad sent a drone to assist. State lawmakers from Laurel County urged residents in the area to stay home during the search.
“We had numerous calls throughout the county and we’re still getting them this morning,” Acciardo said, of calls from concerned community members. “This is a remote area. If he was going to target some place that he wanted to do something like this, it was the perfect spot.”
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.
“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.”
“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.
State lawmakers from Laurel County urged residents in the area to stay home as police continued to search for the shooter.
“Without a doubt, this is an act of senseless violence that does not reflect the values of this community, our Commonwealth, or its people,” they said in a statement.
In a video update on Facebook late Saturday night, London Mayor Randall Weddle tried to calm fears as the search continued for the gunman. He urged residents to call 911 if they hear or see anything suspicious near their homes.
Below: London, KY mayor gives an update following the shooting from a livestream hosted on the city‘s Facebook page
“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 the social platform X. “Please pray for everyone involved.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.