Five injured after shooting near Kentucky highway, ‘armed and dangerous’ person of interest ID’d

A shooting near a Kentucky highway Saturday night left five people seriously injured, and the search for a person of interest considered “armed and dangerous” is underway, authorities said.

The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said a stretch of Interstate 75 eight miles north of the small city of London was shut down amid the law enforcement response. The interstate later reopened.

“Deputies found nine vehicles had been shot into both north and south bound on I-75 and five persons were seriously injured,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo said Sunday that all five people injured were expected to survive. He added that 50 to 60 police officers had searched for a person of interest until 3 a.m. on Sunday, and that the search had resumed at daybreak.

“No one was killed from this, thankfully,” London Mayor Randall Weddle said in a video posted to Facebook. “But we ask that you continue to pray.”

The mayor had previously said that some people had been injured by gunfire and collisions, though the sheriff’s statement did not confirm how many were wounded by gunshots rather than injured in the crashes.

Saint Joseph London hospital said in a statement that it has received “multiple patients” in the attack and that they are all being treated for minor injuries.

“We are devastated by the events that occurred along Interstate 75 in Laurel County, Kentucky Saturday night,” the hospital said. 

A spokesperson for University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital in Lexington said it received two patients from the incident but did not immediately provide details about them.

The person of interest was named as Joseph A. Couch, 32, according to Kentucky State Police and the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. He’s described as white, 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 154 pounds.

Deputy Acciardo said his office was not yet listing Couch as a suspect, but were confident that they had him penned in a remote area and were confident they’d find him Sunday.

“I just feel like we’re getting him today, I really do,” he said.

In a statement shared on Facebook, the sheriff’s office said people should not approach Couch but should report his whereabouts to authorities immediately if they spot him.

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said authorities were focused on woods near the interstate in their search for Couch.

Gov. Andy Beshear said on social media platform X that he’s aware of the situation.

“We are actively monitoring the situation and offering support in any way possible,” he said.

Agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were responding to assist state police and local authorities, the ATF said.

Traffic on Interstate 75 had fully reopened in both directions, the Mount Vernon Fire Department said on Facebook.

The volunteer department’s chief, David Bales, said he was not authorized to speak about the situation.