A week and a half after a highway shooting spree and an ensuing manhunt for an “armed and dangerous” suspect, officials in Kentucky have found a body they believe is that of the suspected gunman near where the shooting happened.
Officials said two state troopers and two civilians were simultaneously searching for the suspect in woods in Laurel County on Wednesday when they ran into each other. After identifying themselves, the group found an unidentified body, believed to be that of Joseph A. Couch.
There were “articles associated with the body,” Col. Phillip Burnett Jr. said, that lead officials to believe it’s Couch. An official identification is expected Thursday, officials said.
Authorities have been searching for Couch, 32, since the Sept. 7 shooting next to Interstate 75, 8 miles north of the small city of London. Five people were seriously injured.
The gun, 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.
Twelve vehicles were hit, according to the sheriff’s office, and an estimated 20 to 30 rounds were fired. Some drivers did not realize their vehicles had been struck until hours later.
The dayslong 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 with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault. Couch has no criminal convictions; 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 with 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.
