A police manhunt for the suspected gunman who opened fire near Interstate 75 in Kentucky on Saturday and wounded five individuals continued for a third day on Monday as law enforcement officers used machetes to hack through a “jungle” of trees in southeastern Kentucky.
According to Fox News, law enforcement officials are continuing to search through rugged terrain in southeastern Kentucky for the 32-year-old suspect, Joseph A. Couch. Law enforcement officials have indicated that Couch fired between 20 and 30 rounds from a wooded area near exit 49 of Interstate 75.
Fox News cited officials who said bullets from Couch’s firearm hit 12 different vehicles and injured five people. While some of the victims reportedly had “very serious injuries,” including an individual who was shot in the face, all of the victims were in stable condition on Sunday. According to Fox News, two other individuals were injured in a vehicle accident that was caused by the interstate shooting.
Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a Laurel County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, said that from the position investigators believe the suspect had at the time of the shooting, Couch “could have shot down upon the interstate” before disappearing into the remote and difficult terrain.
Fox News reported that police officers discovered a small silver SUV and an AR-15 rifle registered to the suspect but that the suspect is still at large.
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State Police Master Trooper Scottie Pennington, a London State Police spokesman, explained that the manhunt through the wooded region near the location of the shooting was like “walking in a jungle” and required officers to use machetes to cut through wooded brush.
Acciardo told reporters, “As this continues, it becomes more stressful for the community, it becomes more stressful for the officers that are there because we’re looking … and we’re trying to find him, and we haven’t found him.”
According to Fox News, multiple school districts in the region canceled Monday’s classes due to the ongoing police manhunt. Additionally, police officials warned residents to keep doors locked and to monitor security cameras.
Law enforcement officials have indicated that Couch purchased his weapon and roughly 1,000 ammunition rounds Saturday morning prior to the shooting. Capt. Richard Dalrymple noted that Couch previously served in the National Guard for at least four years.
Addressing the extended manhunt for Couch, Laurel County Sheriff John Root told reporters, “We’re not going to quit until we do lay hands on him.”
A video showing the “vast area” law enforcement officials have to search was shared Monday on X, formerly Twitter.
