An “active shooter” blasted as many as five people when he fired into traffic from the side of a rural Kentucky highway Saturday night before disappearing — and he is now the subject of a massive manhunt, according to officials and reports.
The gunman was believed to have fired at about 6 p.m. from either an overpass or from a wooded area along the I-75 highway about nine miles away from the town of London, KY, which is home to part of the Daniel Boone National Forest, the Courier-Journal reports.
Cops identified Joseph A. Couch, 32, as a person of interest, warning locals that he should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
He is described as a white male approximately 5’10 weighing 154 pounds.
Local officials urged residents to remain inside and avoid the area near the highway, as efforts to find the shooter are ongoing.
“We have no clue where he is at,” Kentucky State Police spokesperson Scottie Pennington told the Courier-Journal, before adding that it is still a “very active scene.”
“Kentucky, we are aware of a shooting on I-75 in Laurel County. Law enforcement has shut the interstate down in both directions at exit 49. Please avoid the area. We will provide more details once they are available,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement.
Seven total people were injured in the incident, but not all sustained gunshot wounds, London Mayor Randall Weddle said. Some of the victims were injured in a vehicle accident.
Police estimated four to five were gunshot victims.
“There are no deceased at this time. No one was killed from this, thankfully, but we ask that you continue to pray,” Weddle said.
The I-75 was shut down in both northbound and southbound lanes from exit 49 to 62 for several hours, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said in a statement. Route 25 is also shut down.
The Mount Vernon Fire Department warned locals to “EXPECT SIGNIFICANT DELAYS” in a Facebook post sent at 8 pm.
The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms said they are assisting local officials with the investigation, which is being led by the Laurel Canyon Police Department with help from the Kentucky State Police and other agencies.
Gov. Beshear says he is “actively monitoring the situation” with Kentucky State Police and the local Office of Homeland Security.
He implored people to “please pray for everyone involved.”
Laurel County is 90 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky and has a population of 62,000 people. The city of London is home to little over 8,000 people.
With Post wires.
