LONDON, Ky. — From the helicopters circling overhead to the third day of silent, closed schools, a manhunt is still underway as authorities search for 32-year-old Joseph Couch in Laurel County.
"If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be fear," County Judge Executive David Westerfield said on Wednesday.
He called for a state of emergency Monday morning, to bring state and federal law enforcement into the small community. But he said the national guard has yet to show up.
"I'm thinking that here shortly, if this don't get resolved, then they'll be coming in to help as well," Westerfield added, explaining it's Kentucky State Police's (KSP) decision.
Authorities yet to expand their already vast search area, thousands of acres.
Court documents from the Laurel County Sheriff's investigation into the I-75 shooting on Saturday accuse Couch of firing down at cars from a ledge bordering the forest overlooking the interstate. Less than thirty minutes before, the sheriff's office received a tip about a text Couch sent saying he would "kill a lot of people."
An hour later, officers recovered a vehicle registered to Couch near the shooting.
By 8:41 P.M. that night, Center Target Firearms in London told police Couch purchased an AR-15, along with 1000 rounds of ammo the very same day as the shooting.
Visiting the store Wednesday, WHAS11 tried asking questions, but they referred a field crew to law enforcement.
At Tuesday's press conference, Sheriff John Root said he can't comment on the active investigation.
"And really, right now, we can't elaborate on the evidence that's been collected," Root asserted.
So now fear is paired with uncertainty about whether Couch is dead or alive — or if he's still in the area at all.
On the fifth day pursuing the suspect, KSP postponed a 3 p.m. press conference indefinitely. However, Master State Trooper Scottie Pennington, who provided consistence updates over the previous few days, shared in a statement that "should new information become available, KSP will schedule a briefing to notify the public and media."
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