The search for the suspect accused of launching a mass shooting on a Kentucky highway over the weekend continued Monday as it was revealed he had texted someone just 30 minutes before that he intended to "kill a lot of people."
The search for Joseph A. Couch, 32, whom authorities described as “armed and dangerous,” continued in connection with the shooting Saturday evening on Interstate 75, 8 miles north of the small city of London.
Five people were shot and seriously injured. They Laurel County Sheriff’s Office identified them Monday as Rebecca Puyear, Norma Liberia, Renee Walker, Janet Booth and Erick Tavin.
Couch has been charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault, according to an arrest warrant.
Once he is taken into custody, “the court processes will begin quickly with the District Court,” Jackie Steele, commonwealth’s attorney for the 27th Judicial Circuit, said in a statement to NBC News. He could face other, less serious charges in connection with the other drivers affected in the shooting, such as property damage and wanton endangerment.
A $10,000 reward is also being offered for information about his whereabouts leading to his capture, London Mayor Randall Weddle said.
Couch had served in the Army Reserve and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, Weddle told NBC News on Monday.
What we know about the shooting
The sheriff’s office has said the gunman opened fire from three different perches along a ridge that looks down on the interstate. An AR-15, believed to have been used in the shooting, was found near Couch’s vehicle, which was found near the scene Saturday night.
Dispatch received reports of multiple people shot on I-75 around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Just a half-hour before, Laurel dispatch had received a call from a woman who said Couch had texted her saying he intended to kill a lot of people, an affidavit for an arrest warrant obtained by NBC News said.
Investigators interviewed the woman Sunday, and she showed a screenshot of that text that read, in part, “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least.” Another message he sent to her read: “I’ll kill myself afterwards …”At least 12 vehicles were struck in the shooting, though some people didn't realize their vehicles had been hit until they arrived at their destinations hours away. As many as 20 to 30 rounds may have been fired, Sheriff’s Capt. Richard Dalrymple said.
All the victims who were shot were stable and were expected to survive, officials said Sunday.
Officials said Sunday that the suspect bought the AR-15 and about 1,000 rounds legally at a local gun store Saturday morning. According to the affidavit, Couch paid $2,914.40 for the AR-15, a sight mounted on it and the ammunition.
A gun case and several charged magazines were also found in his SUV. Sheriff John Root said Sunday that the suspect went through all the proper paperwork and that there was nothing on record that would have prevented the sale.
An investigation into the shooting and a potential motive has been turned over to Kentucky State Police.
A former Army reservist with a relatively clean record
Couch served in the Army Reserve from March 2013 to January 2019 as a combat engineer, a spokesperson for the Reserve confirmed.
"He was a private at the end of service," the spokesperson said, saying he had no deployments.
Relatives of Couch told investigators that he had grappled with PTSD, Weddle said Monday.
“The reports came from some of the family member of Joseph, so they’re the ones that sent that on to investigators,” he said.
He is not a felon, and he has a relatively clean record that includes the dismissal in March of a charge of making a terrorist threat and at least one alleged traffic violation, said Steele, the prosecutor for the region. He is believed to have acted alone.
Deputies were searching in the remote woods near the scene of the shooting Sunday.
Weddle said that the terrain is rugged and that it includes an old salt mine cave that runs very deep.
"This terrain is some of the roughest terrain to go in. A lot of trees, a lot of vegetation," he said. "People got to keep in mind [Couch] has a military background. So when you hear a helicopter and it’s blacked out, he knows to hide, or he hears the thrum."
Laurel County Public Schools said school was canceled Monday “out of an abundance of caution.”
Weddle said he has heard from the governor's office and the White House, offering support.
