Central Kentucky children told to stay home from school as I-75 shooting suspect evades capture for third day

Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

(CNN) — Schools crossed a swath of cardinal Kentucky canceled classes Monday and residents person been urged to stay connected precocious alert arsenic nan deep-woods hunt for a man suspected of opening occurrence on I-75 enters its 3rd day.

Joseph Couch, 32, has evaded seizure since Saturday afternoon, erstwhile authorities opportunity he fired an AR-15 from a cliff ledge connected nan broadside of nan interstate astir 9 miles northbound of London, Kentucky, striking 12 cars and wounding 5 people.

Though his motive is still unknown, nan onslaught appeared to beryllium a “random act” of violence, Laurel County Sheriff’s Deputy Gilbert Acciardo said, according to The Associated Press.

Kentucky State Police are continuing hunt efforts for Couch, who authorities opportunity is considered equipped and dangerous.

An apprehension warrant has been issued charging Couch pinch 5 counts of attempted execution and 5 counts of first-degree assault, Jackie Steele, nan commonwealth lawyer for Laurel and Knox Counties, told CNN.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for immoderate accusation starring to Couch’s arrest, Steele said.

Couch could still beryllium equipped and hiding anyplace successful nan the vast, densely wooded area adjacent wherever his AR-15, ammunition, car and perchance his telephone were found, Laurel County Sheriff John Root said Sunday night. Just hours earlier nan shooting, Couch legally purchased a firearm and astir 1,000 rounds of ammunition, sheriff’s agency officials said.

It is besides imaginable Couch has killed himself location successful nan wilderness, Laurel County Sheriff’s Office Captain Richard Dalrymple said Sunday.

Alongside helicopters, drones and K-9 teams, crushed crews are scouring a mountainous hunt area that spans thousands of acres and is crisscrossed pinch trails for all-terrain vehicles, according to nan sheriff and Kentucky State Police spokesperson Scottie Pennington. In immoderate places, they are utilizing machetes to portion done heavy brush, Pennington said.

Until Couch is found, rule enforcement is informing nan organization to enactment vigilant for immoderate signs of him and return steps to support their homes safe.

“You request to fastener your doors. If you person information cameras, make judge you’re perpetually watching them, possibly support your structure lights on,” Pennington advised residents. “Have your compartment telephone and make judge your phones are charged up because you ne'er cognize erstwhile you mightiness person to interaction personification aliases rule enforcement.”

Safety concerns besides led much than a twelve area schoolhouse districts and respective backstage schools to cancel classes Monday, including those successful Laurel, Jackson and Clay counties.

London Mayor Randall Weddle said Sunday his agency is communicating pinch section schoolhouse superintendents. He added, “Of course, their privilege is to support our children safe.”

Though nary of nan victims of Saturday’s shooting were killed, immoderate were near pinch “very severe” injuries, including a personification who was changeable successful nan look and different “across nan chest,” according to Acciardo. Others were “critically hurt” but were successful unchangeable information Sunday, he said.

Couch served successful nan Army Reserve for astir six years betwixt 2013 and 2019 arsenic a combat engineer. He had nary deployments and was a backstage – nan Army’s lowest enlisted rank – astatine nan extremity his of service, Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro told CNN successful a statement.

Couch has a “very minimal” criminal grounds successful nan state, according to Steele. He was charged pinch terroristic threatening, but nan complaint was dismissed earlier this year, Steele said. No different specifications connected nan complaint were given.

Authorities searched nan suspect’s location Sunday evening and are hoping to summation penetration from physics devices recovered inside, Dalrymple said.

Speaking astatine nan news convention Sunday night, Root urged nan fishy to move himself in.

“We’re not going to discontinue until we do laic hands connected him,” Root said, adding, “This effort is not going to stop.”

Search crews scour a jungle-like forest

Search teams look a daunting undertaking arsenic they trudge done nan vast, secluded wood – a task nan authorities constabulary spokesperson compared to trudging done a jungle.

“You can’t do it very accelerated because you don’t want to time off (any) stone unturned. You don’t cognize if he’s successful that area. So you’ve gotta beryllium very slow-paced astatine what you do,” Pennington said.

More than 150 federal, authorities and section unit are progressive successful nan investigation and hunt for Couch, Root estimated, though only astir 40 to 50 of those are connected nan ground.

While Couch did not look to beryllium targeting circumstantial people, nan onslaught did look to beryllium “a planned event,” Acciardo said Sunday.

“At this point, we do not judge he has extracurricular assistance,” Acciardo said, though he later noted it’s “extremely possible” nan fishy is utilizing immoderate shape of telecommunications.

The magnitude of clip Couch is capable to past successful nan wilderness depends connected really prepared he was, which is still unclear to authorities.

Following nan shooting Saturday, investigators recovered a conveyance registered to Couch on a wood work roadworthy disconnected Exit 49, pinch an quiet weapon lawsuit inside. The conveyance was “very adjacent nan interstate, but not adjacent capable that nan personification of liking could person fired from that location,” Acciardo said.

The fishy is believed to person walked to a cliff on nan broadside of nan interstate and fired from a ledge astir 30 feet down nan cliff, according to Dalrymple. Authorities later recovered nan AR-15 adjacent nan site, on pinch a telephone pinch nan artillery removed.

‘I looked down and was conscionable pouring blood,’ unfortunate says

What started arsenic a family time retired ended pinch a travel to nan emergency room for 1 of nan shooting’s victims, 28-year-old Rebecca Puryear.

Puryear, her hubby and 4-year-old boy had spent nan time together successful Lexington and were connected nan measurement backmost to their location successful Harlan, Kentucky, erstwhile they heard gunshots arsenic they approached Exit 49 connected I-75.

“It sounded for illustration a tyre had blown, truthful I asked my husband, and he said it was gunshots,” Puryear told CNN connected Sunday.

“The adjacent point I know, my ears are ringing. I look complete and my (passenger-side) model is busted and there’s a slug hole.”

Puryear continued driving for different mile and a half earlier pulling complete successful a safer area. She made judge her hubby and boy were safe earlier realizing she had been shot.

“I looked down and was conscionable pouring blood,” Puryear said. “I had to effort to support it together because if I freaked out, they would’ve freaked out.”

They called 911, Puryear said, and Laurel County Sheriff’s Deputy Bobby Roberts responded arsenic different ambulance was headed to assistance different victims down her astatine nan scene.

“I started fainting and going successful and out, and he told maine to get successful his cruiser truthful he could return maine to nan hospital.”

Puryear said a slug entered done nan passenger-side model and struck her correct arm, penetrating her thorax earlier exiting done her near arm. She was released from a infirmary later Saturday nighttime but will request surgery.

“We’re blessed that I’m still alive. I’m a stepping miracle,” Puryear told CNN. “It still does not consciousness existent to me, moreover though I’m sitting present pinch gaping wounds.”

CNN’s Gloria Pazmino, Paradise Afshar, Raja Razek, Lauren Mascarenhas, Chris Boyette, Jillian Sykes, Haley Britzky and Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.