Wanted suspect Joseph A. Couch allegedly threatened to ‘kill a lot of people’ before Kentucky highway shooting: warrant

LONDON, Kentucky — As a massive search continued Monday afternoon for the suspect in a Kentucky interstate shooting that wounded five people and left a dozen vehicles with bullet holes, an arrest warrant issued by authorities alleges the fugitive gunman sent a text message to a woman threatening to “kill a lot of people” about a half-hour before the highway attack.

The suspect, Joseph A. Couch, 32, was also allegedly involved in a domestic dispute early Saturday morning and had legally purchased an AR-15 rifle and ammunition at a gun store hours before he allegedly opened fire on vehicles traveling on Interstate 75 near London, Kentucky, law enforcement officials told ABC News.

According to an arrest warrant, Couch is wanted on charges of attempted murder and first-degree assault.

Before the interstate shooting, according to the arrest warrant, a Laurel County 911 dispatcher received a call from a woman who claimed Couch texted her before the interstate shooting and “warned her he was going to kill a lot of people. Well, at least he was going to try.” The text message was sent to the woman at 5:03 p.m. Saturday, about a half-hour before the interstate shooting began, according to the arrest warrant.

“Couch sent another message to (the woman) which read, in part, “I’m going to kill myself later,” according to the arrest warrant.

City of London officials told ABC News that the woman Couch texted is the mother of his child.

Details of the domestic dispute that allegedly involved Couch have not been released.

Couch allegedly purchased a Cobalt AR-15 rifle with a mounted scope and 1,000 rounds of ammunition for $2,914 at a gun store in London, Kentucky, on Saturday morning, according to the arrest warrant.

SEE ALSO | Suspect in Kentucky highway shooting bought gun legally that morning: authorities

Saturday’s interstate shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m. local time on I-75 at Exit 49, about eight miles (13 kilometers) from London, authorities said.

At a news conference Sunday night, Laurel County Sheriff’s Capt. Richard Dalrymple estimated that 20 to 30 shots were fired at vehicles in the northbound and southbound lanes of I-75 from a hillside near Exit 49. At least 12 vehicles were struck by gunfire, leaving five people with gunshot wounds, including one victim who was shot in the face, authorities said.

The five victims suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

Authorities initially said seven people were injured in the incident.

Authorities said they do not believe any of the shooting victims were targeted.

State police announced Monday that a $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.

A silver Toyota SUV registered to Couch was found abandoned on a forest road in the thick woods near Exit 49, according to the arrest warrant issued for Couch. A Cobalt AR-15 rifle believed to have been used in the shooting and a green army-style backpack containing ammunition and several magazines were discovered in roughly the same area, according to the arrest warrant. The backpack had “Couch” handwritten on it, according to the warrant.

Investigators believe the suspect was unprepared for a long period of time trying to evade police in the woods because he left his gun, ammunition and vehicle behind. There is no indication so far that Couch had any kind of supply stash that would have allowed him to disappear into the rugged terrain, investigators said.

Couch was initially named a person of interest in the shooting, and the sheriff’s office released his photo and said he was “considered armed and dangerous.” On Sunday afternoon, Laurel County Sheriff John Root announced that Couch had been promoted to prime suspect.

Root said Couch has an address in Woodbine, Kentucky, and the sheriff’s office described him as about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds.

According to military records, Couch served as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve from March 2013 to January 2019. Records show he was part of an Army Reserve engineering company, 979 Engineering Company, based in Lexington.

SEE ALSO | Police searching for person of interest, closing Kentucky interstate after reports of multiple gunshots

More than 150 police officers are participating in the search for Couch.

Authorities are focusing their search on the Exit 49 area, although they have also investigated reports of Couch sightings in other areas of Laurel County and outside the county, authorities said.

The area around Exit 49 is the most remote on I-75 and the terrain is heavily wooded and hilly, Kentucky State Trooper Scottie Pennington said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

“We’re in the Daniel Boone National Forest; it’s thousands and thousands of acres. It’s like a jungle,” Pennington said.

Pennington said the plan is to keep pressuring Couch to “wear him down.”

“I hope he doesn’t have water or anything to eat,” Pennington said.

London Police Department Assistant Chief Bobby Day told ABC News that authorities in the area who believe Couch is hiding have an extensive cave system and that the search included underground caves.

At least nine Kentucky school districts and one community college campus were closed Monday due to safety concerns stemming from the search for Couch.

“The safety of students and staff is a top priority at Laurel County Public Schools; therefore, out of an abundance of caution, classes have been canceled for tomorrow, Monday, September 9, 2024,” Laurel County Public Schools said in a statement Sunday night.