Kentucky police reported an “active shooter situation” near Interstate-75 in London, Kentucky, on Saturday evening, where “multiple people” were shot in traffic. The incident began about nine miles away from London just before 6 pm (1000 GMT), when officers were called to reports of shots fired at multiple vehicles on Interstate 75 in Laurel County, multiple media accounts said. The bullets were reportedly coming from a wooded area or an overpass.
It is not yet clear how many people were shot and what the nature of their injuries were. Police officials said the suspect has not been apprehended.
“The man pictured below, Joseph A. Couch, is a suspect in a shooting that occurred in the area of ​​Exit 49/KY-909. If you have any information on the whereabouts or location of this man, please contact the London-Laurel County 911 Center by calling 911 or 606-878-7000. ***DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE CONTACT***. Joseph A. Couch is a 32-year-old white male, approximately 5’10 tall and weighing approximately 154 lbs,” police said.
“Please avoid I-75 around Extension 49 until further notice! Use alternate routes and don’t go anywhere in that area,” London Mayor Randall Weddle said on Facebook.
“The suspect has not been apprehended at this time and we are urging people to remain indoors,” Kentucky State Trooper Scotty Pennington wrote on Facebook.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear wrote on Twitter: “Kentucky, we are aware of a shooting on I-75 in Laurel County. Please avoid the area. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.”
He also asked residents to “please pray for everyone involved.”
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called in to assist Kentucky State Police and local law enforcement agencies, the agency posted on X, calling it a “serious incident.”
London is a small city of about 8,000 residents located near the Daniel Boone National Forest about 90 miles south of Lexington.
The shooting comes just days after a mass shooting at a high school in Winder, Georgia, that left two teachers and two students dead and nine others injured.
