Police shift focus from woods to road patrols in search for Kentucky interstate shooter

Authorities shifted their strategy Tuesday while trying to track down an interstate highway shooter in Kentucky, pulling searchers from the woods to bolster patrols in communities near where the gunman opened fire, hitting a dozen vehicles and wounding five people.

After searching 28,000 acres (11,331 hectares) over 11 days, authorities acknowledged they're no closer to finding the suspected gunman, 32-year-old Joseph Couch. Hundreds of law enforcement personnel were assigned to ground and air search efforts, which focused on a rugged, wooded area near London, a city of about 8,000 people roughly 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Lexington.

“We do not have any specific evidence or any details that have led us any closer to his apprehension at this time,” Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said in an update Tuesday.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear added: “I don’t think you can definitively say he’s still in the forest, he’s outside of the forest, or that he’s still alive.” He called the shooting an “act of violence and evil” and said the plan now is to bolster security in area communities in hopes of calming fears among residents.

Police have received more than 400 tips since the Sept. 7 shooting on Interstate 75, most pointing to areas outside the sprawling forest, Burnett said. The decision was made to reassign law officers from the woods to the communities to bolster security as people resume their lives.

“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,” Beshear said.

Resident Heather Blankenship said she welcomed the increased police patrols, citing the anxiety she has felt while driving in the area since the interstate shooting.

“Looking up on the cliffsides, that’s not normal," she said by phone. "Looking up in the trees, that’s not normal. Thinking that someone could just ‘off’ you in a split second, when you’re driving from point A to point B. You shouldn’t have that kind of fear in America.”

Blankenship said she and her daughter drove through the shooting scene around the time of the interstate attack. She said she heard popping sounds and saw a couple of vehicles pulled over. She didn't know about the shooting until later when her sister contacted her. The vehicle she was in was not hit by a bullet. Police have said some motorists didn't realize their vehicles were struck by the gunfire until later.

Schools reopened Tuesday with extra security in the county where the shooting occurred. Schools in the Laurel County district were in session for the first time since the assailant sprayed bullets onto I-75.

School district administrators worked with law enforcement on the reopening plan, which provides enhanced security for buses, school campuses and extracurricular activities.

Police increased patrols along most rural bus routes in the southeastern Kentucky school district, administrators said in a message on the district's website. Parents were urged to keep their children inside, if possible, until the bus arrived. Law enforcement bolstered its presence to monitor each school campus, and patrols were increased for after-school events.

“We appreciate the support, trust and cooperation of our families and the community as we safely return to school,” the district said in its message.

Students had shifted to virtual learning for several days after the shooting.

Blankenship said she was comfortable sending her three children back to school with the extra police presence.

“I have more anxiety driving down the road in town than I do my children being in school,” she said.

Police have urged area residents to be vigilant and look out for their neighbors as searchers try to track down the suspect. Cameras placed in the forest will enable authorities to monitor the area in case Couch might still be hunkered down there. Searchers contended with cliff beds, sinkholes, caves and dense brush in the vast search area.

Burnett stressed that the new strategy was a reallocation of personnel, not a drawdown. The massive response to the shooting has included federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. State police added reinforcements by bringing in troopers from other posts across the state. They are part of the surging patrols meant to safeguard area residents.

"This will include moving patrols onto roadways, increasing security and visibility at local schools and bus routes and increasing the presence of law enforcement at local sporting events,” Burnett said.

The ultimate objective remains the same — finding the suspect.

“We will not rest until Mr. Couch is brought into custody,” Laurel County Sheriff John Root said.

The day after the shooting, authorities searched an area near where Couch’s vehicle was found, with a view of I-75. There, they found an Army-style duffel bag, ammunition and spent shell casings, authorities said in an arrest warrant affidavit.

A short distance away, they found an AR-15 rifle with a sight mounted to the weapon and several additional magazines. The duffel bag had “Couch” handwritten in black marker. Couch fired 20 to 30 rounds in the attack, investigators said.

Shortly before the shooting, Couch wrote in a text message: “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least.” In a separate text message, Couch wrote, “I’ll kill myself afterwards.” The messages were revealed in the affidavit.