Kentucky community told to stay vigilant amid manhunt for ‘armed and dangerous’ person of interest in interstate shooting
WYMT, CNN
By Paradise Afshar and Raja Razek, CNN
(CNN) — Residents are being told to remain vigilant as a manhunt continues for an “armed and dangerous” person of interest in the shooting that wounded five people Saturday on an interstate in a rural area of Laurel County, Kentucky, authorities said.
Nine vehicles were shot into on both north and southbound lanes of Interstate-75 and five people were struck by gunfire around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said. All five victims are in stable condition, sheriff’s spokesperson Gilbert Acciardo told CNN.
Joseph A. Couch was identified as a person of interest in the incident, the London Police Department said. He is described as a White man, roughly 5 foot, 10 inches, weighing about 154 pounds, according to police.
“We know the general area where this individual is,” London Mayor Randall Weddle said in a Saturday night video update, adding that he will not provide further specifics. The mayor earlier said authorities were searching in “rugged terrain and a lot of tree lines,” which may hamper their efforts.
It’s unclear what motivated the gunfire. “Investigation began and a lead was developed on a person of interest and the search for this person of interest is continuing,” the sheriff’s office said.
“The scene is being contained overnight and an active search and the continuing investigation will occur at daybreak on Sunday morning,” the sheriff’s office said.
The shooting launched a multi-agency search for the shooter as the interstate was shut down for hours “because of the danger to passing cars in the area of the shootings,” the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said. The FBI, US Marshal service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are all assisting in the search, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities urged people to stay inside and remain vigilant as the search continued.
“If you think you hear something outside of your home, please do not go outside shooting,” Weddle said. “Our officers could be in that area or first responders. Call 911.”
The gun violence injected chaos into the Saturday commute just days after a mass shooting left four people dead and nine others hospitalized at a high school in Winder, Georgia — and less than a week after a half-dozen people driving on an interstate in the Seattle area were injured by a spree shooter.
“I am receiving initial reports from the Kentucky State Police and our Office of Homeland Security — together we are actively monitoring the situation and offering support in any way possible,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement. “Please pray for everyone involved.”
Drivers recount harrowing ordeal
One woman who was driving on Interstate 75 with a friend from Rochester, New York, to Knoxville, Tennessee, gave harrowing details about the shooting in an interview with CNN.
When they reached London, Christina DiNoto said she and her friend heard a “loud noise.”
“We were just driving along, and all of a sudden, it was like a rock went through my back window, and it hurt my ear,” DiNoto said. “And we looked at each other and we were like,
‘Was that a gunshot?’ And then we’re like, ‘No, that wasn’t a gunshot.’”
DiNoto said she noticed a truck driving next to her car slowed down and pulled off to the shoulder of the interstate, so she initially thought they had a tire blowout. She said they saw several police cars drive by at a high speed and “so many” tires on the side of the interstate.
It wasn’t until roughly an hour and a half later DiNoto and her friend learned about the shooting. When they arrived at a friend’s house, they noticed what appeared to be paint scrapes on the back of her car.
“My hands are still shaking,” said DiNoto, who added she feels incredibly lucky.
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CNN’s Sarah Dewberry, Sara Smart and Emma Tucker contributed to this report.
