As the manhunt for the gunman in a mass shooting on a Kentucky interstate on Saturday continues, officials have ruled out road rage as a motivation behind the attack – which left seven people injured.
In a news conference on Sunday, Laurel county sheriff’s office deputy Gilbert Acciardo said a person sought by investigators for having possibly been involved in the shooting “was not in a vehicle”.
“No, definitely not road rage,” said Acciardo, his agency’s spokesperson.
While deputies made clear that they were still investigating the case, Acciardo’s remarks suggested those who were shot had no connection to their attacker.
Authorities have identified 32-year-old Joseph A Couch as a so-called person of interest. Police often use the term to describe people who they surmise are involved in crimes, though they are not yet technically wanted on an arrest warrant.
Couch is described as a white man, about 5ft 10in tall, and about 154lb in weight. Early Sunday evening, authorities said they had cornered Couch in woods alongside the interstate.
“Considered armed and dangerous … do not attempt to approach,” police said.
Authorities also recovered an AR-15 and several fully loaded magazines in a wooded area next to the Interstate 75 highway where Saturday’s shooting took place. Acciardo said the shooter in Saturday’s attack could have fired “upon the interstate from that wooded location”.
He added that authorities were examining the possibility that the shooter – potentially even the person of interest in the case – could have dropped the rifle and run away after firing. “We’re not sure quite why he would abandon his weapon and magazines,” Acciardo said.
Authorities also found Couch’s vehicle off a forestry service road near I-75’s exit 49. Acciardo described the vehicle as a silver Honda that is either a CRX or CRB model – and the deputy said authorities are still “going on the premise that he is out there in the woods”.
The shooting began just before 6pm local time about nine miles outside London. Officers were called for reports of multiple vehicles being fired at on the interstate in Laurel county, multiple media accounts said. The shots were reportedly coming from a wooded area or an overpass.
“When our first two units got to the scene there, 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”, Acciardo said on Sunday, the Associated Press reports.
According to officials, seven people were injured, with five being wounded from gunshots. Three victims were hospitalized in London while two others were transported to the University of Kentucky hospital in Lexington.
Some of the victims had “very serious injuries”, with one person being shot in the face, WDRB reports.
In a video statement, London mayor Randall Weddle said that the White House had also reached out to him, adding, “There are no deceased at this time. No one was killed from this, thankfully, but we ask that you continue to pray.”
In a Facebook update on Sunday, Laurel county sheriff’s office said that the ground search for the person of interest had resumed, with the sheriff’s office being assisted by other law enforcement agencies. The London-Laurel rescue squad has also sent over their drone equipped with forward-looking infrared cameras to assist with the search.
According to the Courier Journal, approximately 30 to 40 officers including state and federal agents are currently engaged in the manhunt.
Kentucky state trooper Scottie Pennington wrote on Facebook: “The suspect has not been caught at this time and we are urging people to stay inside.”
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear wrote on X: “Kentucky, we are aware of a shooting on I-75 in Laurel County. Please avoid the area. We will provide more details once they are available.”
He also asked residents: “Please pray for everyone involved.”
London is a small city of about 8,000 residents, about 100 miles south-east of the state capital Frankfort.
There had been about 390 mass shootings across the US so far this year as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The archive defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more victims are wounded or killed.
Such a high number has prompted many Americans to demand more substantial gun control from the lawmakers, but Congress has largely unheeded those calls.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report
This article was amended on 8 September 2024. An earlier version incorrectly said that London is about 100 miles north-west of Frankfort, instead of south-east.
