Police in Kentucky were still searching for a gunman suspected of shooting and injuring five people on an interstate highway over the weekend, as the manhunt entered its third day on Monday.
The shooting on Saturday occurred just before 6pm local time about nine miles outside London, Kentucky. Officials said that a gunman began shooting at drivers on the Interstate 75 and struck 12 vehicles, resulting in five people being wounded by gunshots.
The victims were all transported to hospitals, and authorities said that some of the victims had “very serious injuries” but they were all in stable condition as of early Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
Shortly after the shooting, officials identified a person of interest, 32-year-old Joseph A Couch, who they said was “considered armed and dangerous”, and began a search for him in a remote area near the interstate.
On Sunday afternoon, Couch was upgraded to a suspect after authorities found a silver SUV registered to him near the scene of the shooting, as well as a rifle case inside the vehicle.
On Monday authorities said in an arrest warrant that Couch sent a text message vowing to “kill a lot of people” less than 30 minutes before the attack happened.
“I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least,” Couch wrote in the message, according to the warrant affidavit filed in court. In a separate text, Couch wrote, “I’ll kill myself afterwards,” the affidavit says.
The Lexington Herald-Leader identified the woman Couch sent the text messages to as his ex-wife.
An AR-style rifle that officials believe was used in the shooting, was recovered near the interstate and in the vicinity of the car that was recovered. And according to NBC News, authorities said the gun had been purchased legally at a local store on the morning of the shooting.
In a news conference on Sunday, county officials said Couch was not in a vehicle and ruled out road rage as a motivation behind the attack.
Officials said that they were examining the possibility that the shooter could have dropped the rifle and run away after firing.
The area of the search is a remote, rural and hilly area of south-eastern Kentucky with officials describing the search area like “walking in a jungle”.
On Monday, the search entered its third day, and Laurel county public schools were closed out of an abundance of caution, authorities said.
The Courier Journal reported that the Kentucky state police had taken over the search for Couch on Sunday.
The Associated Press reported that Couch had a military background, and served in the national guard for at least four years.