Authorities continued the arduous search through the woods of Laurel County for a man accused of shooting five people along Interstate 75 over the weekend, the Kentucky State Police said Monday afternoon.
Police said they believe the suspect, 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch, was still in a rugged, heavily wooded area in the Daniel Boone National Forest in northern Laurel County near Exit 49, where the shootings occurred Saturday.
As the time since the shootings approached 48 hours Monday afternoon, Scottie Pennington, a master trooper with the Kentucky State Police, described the difficulties in a search for him covering hundreds of acres.
The area is heavily wooded and includes cliffs, sinkholes, caves and thick brush, Pennington said.
“It is like a jungle,” he said.
In addition to looking for Couch, Pennington said searchers are also looking for evidence. They must coordinate with other officers on the ground and in the air, and remain vigilant to the potential danger of being shot from ambush if the suspect has a gun.
Authorities have so far found Couch’s vehicle, the AR-15 they think he used in the shooting and a cell phone they believe belongs to Couch.
“This is not easy. It’s tiresome,” Pennington said.
Still, dozens of local, state and federal officers have searched in the area since Saturday evening and vowed they will continue.
“We’re not gonna quit,” Laurel County Sheriff John Root said at the news conference.
Couch allegedly shot into 12 vehicles from a ledge overlooking I-75 Saturday about 5:30 p.m., seriously wounding five people. Root said police have not found information that leads them to believe anyone else was involved.
“We hope that he’s still in that area,” Pennington said. “We all hope that we got him contained.”
Pennington said safety is the first priority of everyone involved in the search, even if it means they have to go slowly.
“We are committed to make sure that there is no harm to anybody in the community and also our first responders on the ground,” Pennington said.
In addition to the rifle, police report they also found ammunition, an Army-style duffle bag with “Couch” written on it and a small Toyota SUV registered to him, parked on a U.S. Forest Service road near the shooting site, according to police and a an affidavit from Capt. Richard Dalrymple, the lead investigator on the case.
Couch bought the gun legally on Saturday morning, a few hours before the shootings, at a gun store in London along with 1,000 rounds of ammunition, according to police and Dalrymple’s affidavit.
The affidavit, released Monday, said the Cobalt AR-15 had a sight mounted on it and that Couch paid $2,914.40 for all the items.
Police also searched Couch’s home in rural Knox County and found electronic devices they’ll use to try to extract information.
Root’s office is handling the criminal investigation of Couch, which has resulted in attempted murder charges against him, and state police are in charge of the effort to find Couch. The FBI and other federal agencies also are helping.
Police had said earlier Couch was in the National Guard for several years, but updated that information Wednesday to say he was in the U.S. Army Reserve. Pennington said he didn’t know if Couch had any specific survival training, but said even someone with such training can’t last long during cold nights and hot days without food or water.
Authorities believe the shooting took place from a vantage point on a ledge hillside overlooking the busy road in northern Laurel County. Victims were traveling in both the north- and southbound lanes of I-75.
Four of the victims were transported to a hospital, while the fifth victim went to a hospital on their own, according to an affidavit. The affidavit identified the victims as Rebecca Puryear, Norma Liberia, Renee Walker, Janet Booth and Erick Tabin.
Puryear told the Herald-Leader in an interview: “This man was out to kill, and he almost did.”
Couch was named a person of interest early in the investigation and has been on the run since. Police later upgraded his status to a suspect and are offering a $5,000 reward in exchange for information that leads to Couch’s arrest. Also Monday, an anonymous donor offered a $10,000 gift to the sheriff’s office for information leading to Couch’s capture.
Police think the attack was planned.
Pennington said police hope Couch is still in the woods in northern Laurel County, but to address the possibility he sneaked out, they put information about him in a national crime database so officers across the country will have a description of him.
Police also continued to urge citizens to be on the lookout for Couch and to check to make sure their neighbors are safe. If a homeowner sees something on their doorbell camera, or comes home and finds a door doesn’t look the same as they left it, call police, Pennington said.
He also asked for people who plan to go hunting to avoid the Cromer Ridge and Livingston areas.
“We encourage the community to stay strong,” Pennington said.
Before the shooting Couch messaged his ex-wife pledging, “I’m going to kill a lot of people.”
Arrest warrants have been filed against Couch, charging him with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault. Police could also charge Couch with wanton endangerment and criminal mischief for shooting into other cars where people were not hurt.
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