State police say Laurel mass shooting suspect still at large

Mid-afternoon Monday, Kentucky State Police said they’re still searching for the man accused of a mass shooting on Interstate 75 in Laurel County Saturday. State Trooper Scottie Pennington said the multi-agency search continues for 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch, but very rough terrain is slowing that effort.

“We have cliff beds, we have sinkholes, we have caves, we have culverts that go under the interstate. We have creeks and rivers and the dense brush.”

Couch, a former Army reservist, is accused of firing at least 20 shots at motorists on I-75, striking a dozen cars and wounding five people, none fatally. Pennington said they’ll continue the search indefinitely, but hope he’ll turn himself in peacefully.

“We hope that we've got him contained, but we all know they don't always end that way.”

According to the Laurel County Sheriffs Department, Couch called friends Saturday and said he was going to kill a lot of people.

** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, and fact-based journalism. Monthly supporters are the top funding source for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation .