Shots were fired at traffic on Interstate 75 (I-75) in southeast Kentucky at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, injuring five individuals and striking twelve automobiles with bullets.
Former National Guard member Joseph Couch was designated as a suspect by police after first being recognized as a person of interest.
Authorities discovered his SUV on a service road close to the scene of the incident. Later, they discovered what they thought to be the semi-automatic rifle used in the shooting at “a location that you could have shot down upon the interstate from,” according to Sheriff’s Deputy Gilbert Acciardo.
More than a dozen local school districts and private schools, including those in Laurel, Jackson, and Clay Counties, canceled Monday’s classes due to the ongoing presence of the gunman, according to Lex18, a News affiliate.
“Walking in a jungle with machetes needed to cut through thickets of woods” is how Master Trooper Scottie Pennington, the search’s spokesperson, described the experience.
