The search for a man accused of opening fire on vehicles and injuring five people on a Kentucky highway stretched into its 11th day on Tuesday as authorities pivoted their focus from the woods to surrounding communities.
Authorities said the suspect, identified as Joseph Couch, 32, shot at motorists on Interstate 75 in southeastern Kentucky on Sept. 7 — hitting a dozen vehicles and wounding five people. The shooting spree spurred a massive manhunt that sprawled 28,000 acres of rugged, dense forest, and utilized helicopters, drones, and on-the-ground search techniques.
But on Tuesday, law enforcement officials scaled back on the search to focus on increasing their presence in nearby residential areas. While Kentucky State Police will lead the search effort at Daniel Boone National Forest, which spans more than 700,000 acres and 21 Kentucky counties, the agency will withdraw its personnel and use aircraft and cameras throughout the forest.
“On day 11, we know that bringing the boots on the ground from the forest into the communities is going to give the best reassurance to our citizens that if he’s still out there, we are right here with you — where you go to school, where you go to church — in the communities with a significantly enhanced presence,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference Tuesday.
Beshear noted that reallocating resources into the community will provide a “better public safety outcome.” Since the shooting, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said police have received more than 400 tips with a majority of the tips pointing to outside of the forest.
State and local law enforcement will bolster patrols on roadways and increase security at local schools, bus routes and sporting events, according to Burnett.
