Kentucky I-75 shooting suspect Joseph Couch continues to elude police as reward money grows to $15,000

Kentucky law enforcement officials continued a manhunt on Monday for a suspected gunman who is accused of shooting and wounding five people near Interstate 75 on Saturday evening.

Law enforcement officials said their goal on day three of the manhunt was to wear down the suspect, Joseph A. Couch, 32, who is believed to be hiding in a vast and dense wooded area about 8 miles from London, Ky.

“Hopefully, eventually he’ll just walk out of the woods and give himself up, that’s what we hope will happen,” Kentucky State Police Master Trooper Scottie Pennington told reporters Monday.

What we know

Police said Couch, who is from Woodbine, Ky., is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs 154 pounds and is considered armed and dangerous. The public should not engage with Couch if they see him, police added, but should contact law enforcement instead.

Laurel County Public Schools canceled all classes and activities on Monday “out of an abundance of caution.” School officials canceled school on Tuesday as well.

Laurel County sheriff’s deputies, as well as federal, state and local officers, have been on the ground searching in a remote and rugged wooded area by exit 49 off I-75 near the scene of Saturday’s shooting, where officials recovered a silver vehicle on Saturday night registered to Couch.

Kentucky State Police said they’ve also used helicopters, drones and special response teams to search for him.

“It’s not like going to a football field and trying to find someone hiding behind the bleachers,” Pennington said. “We are in the Daniel Boone National Forest and this is thousands and thousands of acres.”

Kentucky State Police announced a $5,000 reward on Monday for information that leads to Couch’s arrest. A private donor has also offered a $10,000 reward, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office.

Couch was in the U.S. Army Reserve as a combat engineer from 2013 to 2019 and did not have any deployments, an Army spokesperson told CBS News. His family told investigators that he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, NBC News reported.

Law enforcement officials do not know Couch’s motive as of Monday afternoon.

What happened Saturday?

The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said Couch fired an estimated 20 to 30 rounds on Saturday evening from three different locations along a ridge that overlooks I-75. At least 12 vehicles were struck, though some owners didn’t realize it until they reached their destination. Five people were shot and seriously injured.

On Monday the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office identified the wounded as Rebecca Puyear, Norma Liberia, Renee Walker, Janet Booth and Erick Tavin.

Arrest warrants have been issued for Couch, who has been charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault. Additional charges, such as criminal mischief and wanton endangerment, may be added later, WKYT reported.

Officials say Couch legally purchased an AR-15 rifle from a local gun store earlier Saturday, along with about 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

An AR-15 believed to have been used in the shooting was found on Saturday night near the silver vehicle registered to Couch.

Kentucky State Police also said that a woman contacted authorities to warn them about a text message Couch allegedly sent her on Saturday about a half hour before the shooting that he was going to try to “kill a lot of people.”