Police continue the search for a suspect who opened fire on I-75 in a rural area of southeastern Kentucky on Saturday.
Laurel County sheriff’s officers arrived at the scene near exit 49 in London, about 75 miles south of Lexington, on Saturday evening. Several cars were found on the side of the road, and multiple people had been shot, according to CBS News.
“When our first two units got to the scene, they said it was a madhouse: people on the sides of the road, emergency flashers going, bullet holes, windows shot out, nine vehicles shot. Can you imagine that? Just chaotic,” Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, said during a news conference Sunday, CBS News reported.
At least five people were shot. While all are in stable condition, many of the injuries were “very serious,” Acciardo said.
The sheriff’s office identified 32-year-old Joseph Couch as a person of interest and warned the public not to approach him. Couch is considered “armed and dangerous” and remains at large, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Couch is described as a white male, approximately 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and weighing 154 pounds.
Acciardo emphasized that Couch is a person of interest and that law enforcement “has not determined that this is the individual who fired the weapon.”
“We’re asking folks, please do not go outside your home shooting, because we might have first responders in that area. It’s important to know you are safe. We have multiple agencies in this community, in the city of London, and in Laurel County,” London Mayor Randall Weddle said in a video update on Facebook.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating the shooting and searching for the person of interest, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office and Weddle.
Anyone with information or who sees Couch is advised not to engage and to contact law enforcement immediately by calling 911.
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[Feature Photo: Joseph Couch/Laurel County SO]
