A week and a half after a highway shooting spree and an ensuing manhunt for an “armed and dangerous” suspect, officials in Kentucky have located a body near where the shooting happened.
Kentucky State Police troopers are working to confirm the identity of the body discovered in Laurel County, officials said Wednesday.
Authorities have been searching for Joseph A. Couch, 32, since the Sept. 7 shooting next to Interstate 75, eight miles north of the small city of London. Five people were seriously injured in the shooting.
The gun used, an AR-15 rifle, was purchased legally in London the day of the shooting, authorities said.
Law enforcement officials said the gunman parked near a ridge overlooking the highway to fire upon vehicles. He had around 1,000 rounds of ammunition, most of which has been recovered.
A total of 12 vehicles were hit, according to the sheriff’s office, and an estimated 20 to 30 rounds were fired. Some drivers did not realize their cars were struck until hours later.
The days-long search for Couch, a former Army reservist, has involved helicopters and drones with infrared technology, while special response teams and trained dogs are tracking him across thousands of acres likened to a jungle.
Couch was charged him with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault. Couch has no prior criminal convictions, though a charge of making a terrorist threat was dismissed in March, Steele said.
Just before the shooting, a woman who shares a child with Couch called dispatchers in Laurel County and shared a chilling message.
“I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least,” Couch wrote to her, according to an arrest affidavit.
He followed up: “I’ll kill myself afterwards.”
A motive for the attack has not been determined, and officials say there is no indication that Couch was targeting anyone specifically or working with others.
Doha Madani and Erik Ortiz contributed.
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