What we know about the shootings on I-75 in Kentucky

Several people were injured Saturday evening in shootings along Interstate 75 in Southern Kentucky. A large manhunt ensued, and nearly 20 miles of I-75 were closed for hours while authorities searched for a person of interest.

Here’s what we know about the shootings as of 10 p.m. Sunday:

Victim describes I-75 shooting in Kentucky. ‘This man was out to kill.’

What we know

  • Five people were shot while driving along I-75 Saturday evening. The shootings happened around 5:30 p.m., and all victims have been listed as stable. The shooter fired from a ledge on a cliff overlooking the interstate.

  • In all, 12 cars were shot into near exit 49, about eight miles north of London. Victims were traveling in both the north- and southbound lanes of I-75.

  • A person of interest was identified as 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch, and he remains at-large. He is considered armed and dangerous, and authorities urge you to call 911 if you see him. Police are searching for him in the wooded areas of north Laurel County.

  • Police found Couch’s vehicle Saturday night, establishing him as a person of interest, and on Sunday afternoon they found his AR-15 along a separate stretch of interstate. They also found a phone that they believed belonged to him, but the battery had been removed

  • Couch bought the AR-15 and 1,000 rounds of ammo the morning of the shootings, police said.

  • Couch has previous military experience, serving at least four years in the National Guard in an engineer batallion.

  • Police think the attack was planned and that the shooter intentionally fired from near a heavily wooded part of I-75.

The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said Joseph A. Couch, 32, is a person of interest in a shooting that occurred near Interstate 75 in the Exit 49/Ky. 909 area Saturday night.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said Joseph A. Couch, 32, is a person of interest in a shooting that occurred near Interstate 75 in the Exit 49/Ky. 909 area Saturday night.

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