Photo: London Police Department.
The search for 32-year-old Joseph Couch entered its third day as authorities found no signs of the man suspected of shooting multiple people near a highway in Kentucky on Saturday (September 6) evening. Authorities said that Couch has been charged with attempted murder, and a warrant for his arrest has been issued.
State police Master Trooper Scottie Pennington told reporters that the heavily wooded terrain has made the search for Couch extremely difficult. He likened it to "walking in a jungle," noting that officers are using machetes to cut away the thick underbrush as they search the woods.
Officials said that Couch fired 20 to 30 shots from the woods, striking 12 vehicles and wounding five people, who remain in stable condition. Two others were injured in a car accident caused by the gunshots.
Couch should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. He has a military background and purchased a gun and around 1,000 rounds of ammunition Saturday morning.
"As this continues, it becomes more stressful for the community, it becomes more stressful for the officers that are there because we're looking ... and we're trying to find him, and we haven't found him," said Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the Laurel County Sheriff's Office.