The first day of school in a Kentucky county under heavy police protection since the massive search for a suspect was launched 11 days ago for an interstate shooter who injured five people, schools reopened in that area on Tuesday.
As long as the 32-year-old suspect Joseph Couch remained at large, the Laurel County Public Schools reopened their campuses to nearly 9,000 students.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear spoke at a press conference on Tuesday.
In a press release, the school district stated that “the safety of our staff and students is the top priority.”
The school district stated, “The reopening plans provide enhanced security measures to bus transportation services, school campuses, and extracurricular activities.”
According to the Kentucky State Police, the search for Couch on Tuesday continued in the dense woods of Daniel Boone National Forest.
Officials said that both state and federal teams searched at least 28 acres of the 700,000-acre forest but had not found any evidence of Couch.
“KSP along with state, local, and federal partners continue the search for Joseph Couch. This video depicts the dense area law enforcement encounter during the search.” -Trooper Scottie Pennington Post 11 pic.twitter.com/Bf6zkSdOXz
— KY State Police (@kystatepolice) September 10, 2024
Officials said that they will expand the hunt to include the surrounding communities as the search for Couch continues in the National Forest.
Beshear stated that additional resources from the state are being provided to assist with ongoing search efforts.
The FBI and U.S. The Marshals Service is assisting with the search.
Officials said that the search for the gunman started on September 7, when police responded to reports of gunfire hitting a dozen cars traveling along Interstate 75 near London in Kentucky.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office reported that 20 to 30 shots had been fired from a hillside located near I-75’s Exit 49.
Officials said that Couch was first named as a “person of interest” after deputies discovered his SUV abandoned near exit 49 on a forest route. Officials said that investigators also believe an AR-15 rifle Couch bought in the hours before the shooting was used in this incident. A bag with Couch’s name on it was found near Couch’s SUV.
One day after the shooting Couch was elevated to the position of primary suspect. Investigators have warned Couch to be considered dangerous and armed.
Officials said investigators searched a house in Laurel County this week, after receiving a tip. They found no evidence that Couch had been at the home.
According to the arrest warrant a Laurel County dispatcher had received a 911 call from a woman who claimed Couch texted her before the interstate shootout and “advised he would kill several people.” At least, you can try. According to the arrest warrant, the text message was sent at 5:03 pm on Sept. 7 to the woman about half an hour before the shooting began.
According to the arrest warrant, “Couch sent a second message to [the lady] which read, in part: ‘I will kill myself after’.”
