Who is Joseph Couch? Alleged I-75 shooter warned he was going to ‘kill a lot of people’

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — As the search for a man who’s considered armed and dangerous continues to unfold, court documents have revealed more about what led to Saturday’s shooting on I-75.

On Sunday, Joseph A. Couch , 32, was named a suspect in the shooting that injured five people and damaged 12 vehicles traveling down I-75 near exit 49. In the aftermath, the interstate remained closed for over four hours, and several school districts closed their doors on Monday due to the manhunt.

“There is people that are injured. But at this time, nobody has died. And let’s not make this- if he does have social media, if he does have a family out there that cares for him. You know, turn yourself in and don’t make this worse than what it is. You know, just give up and make this community get back to what it is,” said Kentucky State Police Trooper Scottie Pennington.

The names of those injured in the shooting have since been released:

• Rebecca Puyear
• Norma Liberia
• Renee Walker
• Janet Booth
• Erick Tavin

All five victims were taken to area hospitals and were last heard to be in stable condition, per the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office.

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Laurel County affidavit reveals new information

According to an affidavit, Laurel County dispatch received a call earlier in the evening stating that she’d received a text from Couch advising that he was going to “kill a lot of people.” An emergency cell site tracker was placed on his cell phone, which pinged at 6:53 p.m. within 2500 meters of Exit 49 just over an hour after shots were fired.

Throughout the investigation, authorities learned that Couch had purchased a Cobalt AR-15 rifle with a Holosun sight mounted on it and 1000 rounds of ammunition the same day of the shooting, per court documents.

The initial caller was interviewed overnight and she shared a screenshot of a text message from Couch that was sent at 5:03 p.m. that read, “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well, try at least.” He sent another message that read, in part, “I’ll kill myself afterwards,” according to an affidavit.

According to court documents, Couch and the woman who alerted authorities share a child.

Pennington said he wasn’t sure when asked if Couch was still alive.

“You know, I don’t know the answer to that. The man upstairs probably knows the answer better than I do,” Pennington answered.

He confirmed that Couch served in the Army Reserves at one point, but said that experience doesn’t make him a survivalist. In a statement from the U.S. Army Reserve on Tuesday, officials said Couch was a 12B combat engineer from March 2013 to January 2019. He was a private at the end of service and had no deployments.

“It don’t matter if you are survivalist, if you’re out there without water or food. Now, how long can you really survive?” Pennington said.

Around 7:55 p.m., Couch’s Toyota CHR was located in the Cromer Ridge area near I-75. Court documents revealed that after authorities searched the adjacent area, they found a green army-style duffle bag with “Couch” written on it in black marker, several magazines of .223 caliber/5.56 mm ammunition that matched evidence on the scene, a Cobalt AR-15, and several additional AR-15 magazines.

Pennington said they have narrowed their search to a roughly 1,000-acre area that consists of caves, rivers, sinkholes, cliff beds, and a dense brush he compared to a jungle.

Troopers say they aren’t certain he’s in their search area and said they will expand their efforts if needed. Pennington told FOX 56 that at least one hundred officers are involved in the search.

Who is Joseph Couch?

The 32-year-old at the center of the southeast Kentucky manhunt is a resident of Whitley County, per court records, and has had several run-ins with law enforcement. But authorities said in Sunday’s press conference that there was nothing to suggest that Couch was a risk for what happened on I-75 on Saturday.

“I ran a statewide criminal history; it’s very minimal,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Jackie Steele said on Sunday. “There was nothing in his criminal history that made me think, ‘Oh, we should have known this was coming.'”

FOX 56 obtained court records that date back to 2015, that shed light on Couch’s history.

Couch was arrested in February for an incident that occurred a year earlier. According to a Knox County warrant, Couch allegedly threw a rock at another man’s dog and when asked why he did so, he started cursing, went inside his home, and came back armed with an AR-15.

He then allegedly told the man that he would kill him and the dog, per court documents. The warrant states that the man’s 9-year-old daughter was present for the entire exchange.

Couch was released on a $1,000 bond, per court documents, and the case was eventually dismissed in March.

But in 2015, Couch was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal mischief and third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor. According to a Whitley County arrest citation, he supplied a 17-year-old with alcohol and spray paint that the pair used to vandalize numerous county properties.

Initially, Couch faced several criminal mischief charges, including first-degree criminal mischief. According to KRS 512.020, criminal mischief in the first degree is a Class D felony unless the offense occurs during a declared emergency. However, this charge, alongside two third-degree criminal mischief charges, was dismissed, and Couch was sentenced to six months in jail, 200 hours of community service, and to pay $1,500 in fines.

If convicted, Couch would have been barred from buying or possessing a firearm.

Based on court records, the rifle purchased on Saturday marks the second in Couch’s possession. It’s unclear if Couch still possessed the AR-15 mentioned in the February court documents; however, only the one purchased on Saturday has been recovered.

Laurel County Sheriff John Root said it is important for Kentuckians to stay vigilant while traveling I-75.

“And that’s a heavy patrol road, you know, state police ourselves. All agents, you know, the interstates really patrolled heavily. There’s so many people out there. So just to use caution and kind of be aware of your surroundings,” Root said.

He confirmed that law enforcement won’t stop the manhunt until Couch is found.

“Until we’ve exhausted all resources we’re not going to quit. We definitely want to, you know, lay hands on him and bring him to justice,” Root confirmed.

According to Kentucky State Police, the public should consider Couch armed and dangerous. There’s a $15,000 collective reward out for information that leads to his arrest.

Authorities emphasized that if you see Couch, do not approach him. Instead, call 911 or the following agencies:

• Kentucky State Police Post 11: (606) 878-6622
• Crime Stoppers: (606) 682-1013
• County Communication: (606) 878-7000
• Laurel County Sheriff’s Office: (606) 864 – 6600

Matthew Duckworth and Camille Hantla contributed to this story.

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