Multiple people shot along highway in Kentucky; suspect at large, authorities say

Several people were shot Saturday along a highway near London in southeastern Kentucky, authorities said. A search was underway for the perpetrator.

At 7:00 PM local time, Laurel County Sheriff’s Office reported that “numbers of people were shot” and Interstate 75 had been closed about nine miles north of London. The highway was fully reopened shortly before 9:30 p.m. local time, the sheriff’s office reported, but the suspect remained at large.

A spokesperson for the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington told CBS News that it had received at least two patients from the incident so far, but there was no word on their conditions. Lexington is about 90 miles north of London.

The sheriff’s office said it was searching for a person of interest in the shooting, 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch. He was described as a white male, about 5-foot-10 and weighing 154 pounds. A photo of Couch was also released.

Trooper Scottie Pennington, a Kentucky State Police spokesman, urged Laurel County residents in the area to stay put. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms responded to assist state and local police with a “critical incident” near I-75, the agency said.

No further details about the incident were immediately provided. The exact number of victims was still unclear.

“Kentucky, we are aware of a shooting on I-75 in Laurel County,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear wrote in a post on social media. “Enforcement has closed the freeway in both directions at exit 49. Avoid the area. We will provide more information as it becomes available.”