‘We’re Kentucky strong,’ mayor says amid hunt for I-75 shooter

( NewsNation ) — The search continues for a suspect who allegedly shot five people on a Kentucky interstate near the town of London on Saturday, but residents are being told to stay strong despite the uncertainty, according to the city’s mayor.

“We’re Kentucky strong here,” London Mayor Randall Weddle told NewsNation Monday.

“While we have a lot of emotions, a lot of high tension right now in this area, we were reminding people to not allow this to change who we are, and let’s come together with a message of hope.”

Weddle said he is encouraging area residents to get back to normalcy in the best way they can. Many area businesses have remained closed, he said.

“It is hard on the entire community and the surrounding communities,” but we are “encouraging people to try to get back to their normal life,” he said.

Authorities believe suspect Joseph Couch, 32, is hiding in a remote, wooded area of southern Kentucky. Police have warned the public to lock their doors, and schools across eight districts have canceled classes Monday.

The city of London and the Kentucky State Police announced a $15,000 reward for any information leading to Couch’s arrest.

This will definitely help the search process, Weddle said.

The mayor said that authorities are aggressively searching for Couch despite the challenging “dense” wooded terrain in the area.

Interstate 75 was closed for about three hours in Laurel County, Kentucky, just north of London, after Couch allegedly started shooting at passing cars Saturday around 6:30 p.m. ET.

Law enforcement has yet to release the names of the victims, but they are all expected to survive.

The London Police Department posted a picture of Couch, initially naming him a person of interest and later as a suspect in the shooting after authorities said they recovered his SUV on a service road near the crime scene.

A phone believed to be Couch’s was also found by law enforcement, but the battery had been taken out.

They later found a semiautomatic weapon nearby that they believe was used in the shooting, said Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the local sheriff’s office.

Weddle had previously warned people i n London, a town of about 8,000, to be vigilant.

“If you’re home, keep your doors locked. I’m not asking anybody to panic. There’s no immediate danger here in the city. If you’re out and about, just be vigilant,” he said.

Couch most recently lived in Woodbine, a small community about 20 miles south of the shooting scene. Authorities said he purchased the weapon and about 1,000 rounds of ammunition Saturday morning in London.

NewNation’s Rich Johnson and Devan Markham contributed to this story.

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