Police search for suspect after shooting in Kentucky that left several people injured

Updated September 8, 2024 at 2:40 a.m. ET

Several people were injured in a shooting near a highway north of London, Kentucky, and a suspect is still at large, officials said Saturday.

Laurel County Sheriff's officers were dispatched to the area about 8 miles north of London, Kentucky, around 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Officers found nine vehicles shot at and five seriously injured, according to a Facebook post from the Laurel County Sheriff's Office.

London Mayor Randall Weddle said in an earlier Facebook video that up to seven people were injured, but not all from gunfire – some from car crashes. At the time, he said there were no fatalities.

The Laurel County Sheriff's Office said the shooting occurred on I-75 at Exit 49, which was closed “due to a shooting.”

The motorway has now reopened in both north and south directions, London police said on Facebook.

London police have released an image of a suspect and identified him as Joseph A. Couch, a 32-year-old white man who is approximately 5'10″ tall and weighs 150 pounds. Couch is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached, police said.

The Laurel County Sheriff's Office said “the crime scene will be cordoned off overnight and an intensive search and investigation will begin at daybreak Sunday morning.”

The sheriff's office said a number of local and federal agencies are assisting in the investigation of the shooting, including the FBI, ATF, state police and other municipal police agencies.

Copyright: NPR