US: 7 People Shot On Kentucky Highway As Police Hunt For Fugitive Suspect

Kentucky police were searching rugged terrain near the Daniel Boone National Forest for a suspect after at least seven people were wounded by gunfire along a rural stretch of Interstate 75.

The incident occurred just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, approximately nine miles outside the town of London in Laurel County, reported AFP.

Photo Credit: X

According to local media reports, the shots were fired from either a wooded area or an overpass, targeting vehicles traveling on the interstate.

London Mayor Randall Weddle shared the news on Facebook, confirming that seven people were injured, some of whom were shot.

Fortunately, he stated that "there were no known fatalities" at the time of his post. He urged locals to "keep your doors locked while this guy is on the loose," as the suspect was still at large.

Although a stretch of the highway near the shootings was initially closed, it was later reopened even though the suspect had not been apprehended.

About three hours after the shooting, the Laurel County Sheriff's Office identified a 32-year-old man, Joseph A. Couch, as a "person of interest" in the case.

They described him as "armed and dangerous" and cautioned the public not to approach him. The Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook, "The below individual, Joseph A Couch, is a Person of Interest in the shooting that occurred at the Exit 49/KY-909 area. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts or location of this individual, please contact the London-Laurel County 911 Center by calling 911 or 606-878-7000. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO APPROACH."

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) also got involved, assisting local law enforcement and the Kentucky State Police. The agency posted on X (formerly Twitter) that this was a "critical incident."

London, a small city with a population of around 8,000, is located roughly 90 miles south of Lexington.

The shooting on Interstate 75 followed another tragic event just days earlier in Winder, Georgia, where two students and two teachers were killed, and nine others wounded in a high school shooting.

A 14-year-old student and his father, who allegedly provided his son access to the firearm used in that incident, were charged. The Winder shooting occurred shortly after the start of the new school year.