Police shift from forest surveillance to road surveillance in search of gunman on Kentucky highway

Authorities changed strategy Tuesday as they tried to track down a gunman on an interstate highway in Kentucky, bringing searchers out of the woods to step up patrols in communities near where the gunman opened fire, hitting a dozen vehicles and wounding five people.

After searching 27,000 acres for 11 days, authorities acknowledged they were no closer to finding the suspected shooter, 32-year-old Joseph Couch. Hundreds of law enforcement officers were assigned to the ground and air search, which focused on a rugged, wooded area near London, a town of about 8,000 people about 75 miles south of Lexington.

“We have no specific evidence or details that would bring us closer to an arrest at this time,” Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said in an update Tuesday.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear added: “I don’t think we can say with any certainty that he’s still in the woods, that he’s out of the woods or that he’s still alive.” He called the shooting “an act of violence and evil” and said the plan now is to step up security in communities across the region in hopes of allaying residents’ fears.

Police have received more than 400 tips since the Sept. 7 shooting on Interstate 75, most pointing to areas outside the vast forest, Burnett said. The decision was made to reassign officers from the woods to the communities to increase security as people resume their lives.

“On Day 11, we know that getting the boots on the ground from the forest to the communities will give the best assurance to our citizens that if it’s still there, we’re there with you – where you go to school, where you go to church,” Beshear said.

Resident Heather Blankenship said she welcomed the increased police patrols, citing the anxiety she felt driving in the area since the interstate shooting.

“Looking at cliffs, that’s not normal,” she said by phone. “Looking at trees, that’s not normal. Thinking that someone could kill you in a split second, as you’re driving from point A to point B. You shouldn’t have that kind of fear in America.”

Blankenship said she and her daughter were driving through the scene of the shooting when the attack happened on the highway. She said she heard pops and saw a few vehicles pull up. She didn’t learn about the shooting until later, when her sister contacted her. The vehicle she was in was not hit by a bullet. Police said some motorists didn’t realize until later that their vehicles had been hit by gunfire.

Schools reopened Tuesday with heightened security measures in the county where the shooting occurred. Schools in the Laurel County district were open for the first time since the gunman fired shots on I-75.

School district administrators worked with law enforcement on the reopening plan, which includes enhanced security for buses, school campuses and extracurricular activities.

Police have increased patrols along most of the Southeastern Kentucky School District’s rural bus routes, administrators said in a message posted on the district’s website. Parents have been asked to keep their children indoors, if possible, until the bus arrives. Law enforcement has increased its presence to monitor each school campus, and patrols have been increased for after-school events.

“We appreciate the support, trust and cooperation of our families and community as we safely return to school,” the district said in its message.

Students transitioned to virtual learning for several days after the shooting.

Blankenship said she was comfortable sending her three children back to school with the added police presence.

“I have more anxiety when I’m driving in the city than when my kids are at school,” she said.

Police urged people in the area to be vigilant and watch out for their neighbors as searchers try to find the suspect. Cameras placed in the forest will allow authorities to monitor the area in case Couch is still holed up there. Searchers have had to contend with cliffs, sinkholes, caves and dense brush in the vast search area.

Burnett stressed that the new strategy was to reallocate personnel, not reduce them. The massive response to the shooting involved federal, state and local law enforcement. State police added reinforcements by bringing in officers from other stations across the state. They are part of increased patrols designed to protect area residents.

“This will include moving patrols onto roads, increasing security and visibility at local schools and on bus routes and increasing law enforcement presence at local sporting events,” Burnett said.

The ultimate goal remains the same: find the suspect.

“We will not rest until Mr. Couch is taken into custody,” Laurel County Sheriff John Root said.

The day after the shooting, authorities searched an area near where Couch’s vehicle was found, overlooking I-75. There, they found a military-style duffel bag, ammunition and shell casings, authorities said in an arrest warrant.

Nearby, they found an AR-15 rifle with a sight mounted on the weapon and several extra magazines. The duffel bag had “Couch” written on it in black marker. Couch fired between 20 and 30 rounds during the attack, investigators said.

Shortly before the shooting, Couch had written in a text message: “I’m going to kill a lot of people. I’ll at least try.” In another text message, Couch had written: “I’ll kill myself next.” The messages were revealed in the affidavit.

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