Schools closed on 3rd day of manhunt for alleged Kentucky highway shooter

Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The third day of a manhunt was underway in Kentucky Monday for a man accused of shooting bypasses from a highway, with several school districts closed in central Kentucky out of precaution.

Several law enforcement agencies have been on the lookout for Joseph A. Couch, 32, of Woodbine, Ky., who has been described a a 5-foot-10, 154 pound man accused of wounding five people and striking 12 vehicles on Saturday after firing an AR-15 style weapon from the edge of a cliff along an interstate roughly nine miles north of London, Kentucky.

An arrest warrant for Couch, who sheriff's say fired as many as 20 to 30 rounds, had charged him with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault.

The victims were "critically hurt" and left with "very severe" injuries such as one person with a facial gunshot wound and another across their chest. His motive is still unknown and appears to be a "random act" of violence, according to a Laurel County deputy sheriff.

The search for the suspect was paused on Sunday at nightfall nearly 27 hours after the incident. Meanwhile, public schools in Laurel County were canceled Monday "out of an abundance of caution," according to the school district.

More than 150 federal, state and local law enforcement agents are currently taking part in the manhunt and investigation though reportedly only about 40 to 50 of those agents are actively on the ground. Authorities have also not ruled out that Couch may have killed himself.

A Kentucky state police official advised citizens to take steps to protect themselves such as locking doors, monitoring security cameras if available and keeping porch lights on.

"Have your cell phone and make sure your phones are charged up because you never know when you might have to contact somebody or law enforcement," Kentucky State Police spokesperson Scottie Pennington said.

Authorities indicated they believe they may have contained Couch among dense foliage and rocky terrain near I-75.

Authorities on Sunday conducted a manhunt for the "armed and dangerous" Couch who police allege one day prior shot at nine cars on Interstate 75, about 76 miles south of Lexington, Ky., seriously injuring five people.

Couch had legally purchased the firearm and nearly 1,000 ammunition rounds, according to sheriff's office officials.

The FBI, U.S. Marshal Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are all assisting in the search, according to the sheriff's office. Initially, around 30 to 40 state and federal officers were involved in the search.

On Sunday, Laurel County Sheriff John Root said Couch could be armed and hiding anywhere in Kentucky's densely wooded areas where his AR-15 and fully loaded magazine, phone and car had been located in a search now involving helicopters, drones, K-9 teams and ground crews searching thousands of acres of wildnerness.

Then at around 5:30 p.m. local time Saturday, Root said his deputies called for a report of a gunshot victim near exit 49 on I-75. Responding deputies found five seriously injured victims, and nine vehicles that appeared to have been shot into in the north and southbound lanes.

In addition to murder charges, Couch may also face lesser charges such as property damage and endangerment.

A National Guard veteran with a "very minimal" criminal record, according to the commonwealth attorney for Knox and Laurel counties, previous terroristic threat charges against Couch were dismissed earlier this year though no other details were given.

Once taken into custody, Couch's "court processes will begin quickly with the District Court," Commonwealth's Attorney for the 27th Judicial Circuit Jackie Steele told NBC News .