The authorities on Sunday pressed their search in a remote wooded area of Kentucky for a man wanted in what they said was a planned shooting on an interstate that left five people seriously wounded and nine vehicles riddled with gunfire.
The man, Joseph A. Couch, was reclassified from a person of interest to a suspect on Sunday afternoon after the police recovered a vehicle that was registered in his name, a weapon near the vehicle and other unspecified information uncovered during the investigation.
Progress in the search has been slow, according to the authorities, who lost daylight on Saturday soon after being called to Interstate 75 at Exit 49, about eight miles north of London, Ky., at about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The weapon, an AR-15 rifle, found on Sunday in a wooded area next to the interstate, was believed to have been used in the shooting.
Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesman for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, told reporters on Sunday that all five victims were expected to survive and were in stable condition.
Investigators believe that the attack was planned but the individuals were not targeted.
A motive for the shooting was unclear but Deputy Acciardo said that Mr. Couch was “committed” to his plan. He did not provide more details. Investigators were unsure if Mr. Couch had supplies or weapons in the wilderness where they believe he was hiding.
Deputy Acciardo said that the gunman had not fired from a vehicle and that the shooting was not a case of road rage.
Officials found a small SUV registered to Mr. Couch at the top of a hill near the interstate on Saturday night. The AR-15 was then found on Sunday “some distance” from the vehicle, Deputy Acciardo said. It was unclear who the weapon was registered to.
He said that the gunman could have fired from the wooded area next to the interstate near where the rifle was found. A rifle case was recovered in the vehicle, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. A phone was also found but its battery was removed, Deputy Acciardo said.
He said law enforcement officers have been to the home of Mr. Couch, who has had “minor infractions” with the law in the past.
Deputy Acciardo described a chaotic scene on Saturday night, with several cars parked on the shoulder of the interstate with their emergency lights flashing and officers sorting through inaccurate reports about what had happened.
Deputies rushed some of the wounded to the hospital because of the severity of their injuries, Deputy Acciardo told The Courier Journal. Among the injuries, one person was shot in the face, another in the arm and another in the chest, Deputy Acciardo said.
The authorities found nine vehicles damaged by gunfire, including bullet holes and windows that were shot out.
The search for the gunman was suspended until daybreak on Sunday because of the danger posed to law enforcement officials if they searched in the thickly wooded area at night. The search will continue on Sunday until the authorities run out of daylight.
The authorities were relying on 40 to 50 people, as well as dogs, a helicopter and a drone with an infrared scanner to help in the search.
“The area, it’s so remote, that’s probably one of the most remote exits along I-75,” Deputy Acciardo said. “He couldn’t have picked an area that’s anymore remote and difficult for us to try to locate him.”
Deputy Acciardo said that while the authorities believed that the man was in the woods, they did not want to rule out that he could be somewhere else. He urged residents to be vigilant and to avoid the search area.
He said there were a lot of rocks in the area being searched, which could provide cover from the drone and those looking on the ground.
“He could be hiding behind a tree and us walk right up on him,” the deputy said.
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