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

Authorities say they believe the body of a man suspected of shooting and wounding five people on a Kentucky interstate highway has been found. (Laurel County Sheriff's Office)

FRANKFORT, Ky. -

The body of a man suspected of shooting and wounding five people on Interstate 75 in Kentucky was found Wednesday, authorities said, ending an intense search that had residents on edge..

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

The discovery came after a lengthy search of the rugged and hilly terrain in the area of southeastern Kentucky where the Sept. 7 attack happened near London, a city of about 8,000 people about 75 miles (120 kilometres) south of Lexington.

Investigators were working to identify the body, state police Master Trooper Scottie Pennington said earlier in a social media post. 

The highway shootings put the rural area on edge, leading some schools to shut down and shift to virtual learning for several days as authorities warned area residents to be vigilant. Schools reopened Tuesday with extra police security in the county where the shooting happened.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has called the shootings an “act of violence and evil.”

A dozen vehicles were struck as the shooter fired 20 to 30 rounds near an interstate exit, creating a chaotic scene. Authorities rushed to the scene after being alerted at about 5:30 p.m. The five victims survived the attack but some suffered serious injuries.

After sending the text message vowing to “kill a lot of people” before the attack, Couch sent another saying, “I’ll kill myself afterwards,” investigators say in the affidavit. The document did not describe the relationship between Couch and the woman who received the texts. However, Couch and the woman have a child together but were never married, according to an attorney who handled the custody arrangement for the couple and their son born in 2016.

Searchers found Couch’s abandoned vehicle near the crime scene and a semi-automatic weapon that investigators believe was used in the shooting. An Army-style duffel bag that was found had “Couch” hand-written in marker, and a phone believed to be Couch’s also was found but the battery had been taken out.

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Authorities said he purchased the AR-15 weapon and about 1,000 rounds of ammunition at a London gun store hours before the shooting.

Couch had a military background in the U.S. Army Reserve. The U.S. Army said he served from 2013 to 2019 as a combat engineer. He was a private when he left and had no deployments.

The search focused on a densely wooded area about eight miles (13 kilometres) north of London that a state police official described as “walking in a jungle.” Aided by helicopters and drones, search teams on the ground contended with cliffs, sinkholes, caves, waterways and thick brush.

Authorities said they were inundated with tips from the public and followed up on each one. When the ground search was suspended at night, specially trained officers were deployed in strategic locations in the woods to prevent the gunman from slipping out of the area.

On Tuesday, authorities said they were pulling searchers from the woods to bolster patrols in nearby communities in hopes of calming fears among residents.

Police received more than 400 tips since the shooting, with most pointing to areas outside the sprawling forest that was the focus of the search.