Search for suspect in Kentucky highway shooting ends with discovery of body believed to be him

FRANKFORT, Kentucky (AP) — Authorities believe the body of a man suspected of shooting and wounding five people on a Kentucky highway has been found.

Lt. Col. Phillip “PJ” Burnett said the body found Wednesday is believed to be that of Joseph Couch of Woodbine, Kentucky.

Burnett said accessories found on the body led her to believe it was him.

Authorities said the body was found after a lengthy search in the rugged and hilly terrain of southeastern Kentucky where the Sept. 7 attack occurred.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS. The previous AP story follows below.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A body was found near rural southeastern Kentucky where a gunman opened fire on a highway, hitting a dozen vehicles and wounding five people, police said Wednesday.

Investigators were working to identify the body, Master Trooper Scottie Pennington of the state police said in a social media post. It was found near the Interstate 75 exit where the Sept. 7 shooting occurred near London, a town of about 8,000 people about 75 miles south of Lexington.

The police did not initially provide any further details about the discovery.

The shooting left residents panicked and many taking extra precautions as the suspected shooter, 32-year-old Joseph Couch, is still at large.

Hundreds of police officers were involved in the large-scale search operation, with the focus of the search being on a rugged wooded area near where the attacker had riddled the highway with bullets.

On Tuesday, authorities said search teams were being withdrawn from the forest to increase patrols in surrounding communities.

The district’s schools reopened on Tuesday with additional police protection.

The day after the shooting, authorities searched an area near where Couch’s vehicle was found, overlooking I-75, and found an army-style duffel bag, ammunition and empty shell casings, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

A short distance away, they found an AR-15 rifle with a mounted sight and multiple magazines. The duffel bag had “Couch” handwritten on it in black marker. The shooter fired 20 to 30 shots, investigators said.

According to the affidavit, Couch said in a text message shortly after the shooting, “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well, at least I’m trying.” In another message, he said, “I’m going to kill myself after this.”

The affidavit did not describe the relationship between Couch and the woman who received the text messages. Couch and the woman have one child together but were never married, according to an attorney who handled custody of the couple and their son, born in 2016.