A manhunt is underway for a suspect after five people were injured in a shooting Saturday near an interstate in a rural area of Laurel County, Kentucky, located south of Lexington, according to the sheriff’s office, Report informs via CNN.
All five victims are in stable condition, and authorities are searching for one shooter, Laurel County Sheriff’s Office Public Affairs Deputy Gilbert Acciardo told CNN.
The active shooter situation occurred near Interstate 75, about nine miles north of the city of London, where “numerous persons have been shot,” said the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office.
Responding deputies later discovered nine vehicles had been shot into on both north and southbound lanes of the interstate, the sheriff’s office said. All five people injured had sustained gunshot injuries, Acciardo told CNN.
The London Police Department has identified 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch as a person of interest who is considered “armed and dangerous.” He is described as a White man, roughly 5 foot, 10 inches, weighing about 154 pounds, police said.
“We know the general area where this individual is,” London Mayor Randall Weddle said in a Saturday night video update, adding that he will not provide further specifics.
London, Kentucky, is located around 80 miles south of Lexington.
The police department urged people to contact their 911 call center with “any information regarding the whereabouts or location on this individual.”
Kentucky State Police Trooper Scottie Pennington said via social media the suspect “has not been caught at this time. We are urging people to stay inside.” Law enforcement will provide “as much information as it becomes available,” he added.