LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — An affidavit released by the Laurel County Sheriff's Office provided in-depth details on what occurred during the Laurel County shooting on Saturday.
The affidavit states that before the shooting, Laurel Dispatch received a call from a person who stated that Joseph Couch texted them and advised that he was "going to kill a lot of people." In response to the report, it states that "a Detective initiated an emergency cell site tracker on Couch's phone." Further, the affidavit states that the first location of the phone was received "around 6:53 p.m. and was within 2500 meters of the cell tower on exit 49 on Cromer Ridge."
According to the affidavit, just before 5:30 p.m., London-Laurel E-911 received calls of multiple people who had been shot on I-75 near exit 49.
When arriving on the scene, the affidavit says that officers located four victims on and near exit 49 with gunshot wounds. The victims were transported from the scene to the hospital, and a fifth victim arrived at Saint Joseph London. The affidavit states that "all five victims had been shot while traveling southbound on I-75."
During the investigation at the scene, the affidavit states that around 7:55 p.m., officers located a "Toyota CHR in the Cromer Ridge area of Laurel County, which was confirmed to belong to Joseph Couch."
According to the affidavit, around 8:41 p.m., an employee at Center Target Firearms in London notified officials that Couch had "purchased a Cobalt AR-15 with a Holosum Sight mounted on it and 1000 rounds of ammunition" on Saturday, totaling almost $3,000.
The affidavit notes that detectives on the scene discovered that four vehicles appeared to have been "shot at from a steep angle and that the bullet holes were consistent with a .223 cal/5.56 mm ammunition."
The individual who notified the police before the shooting was interviewed by officials around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to the affidavit. It goes on to state that the individual provided text messages from Couch, who claimed he was "going to kill a lot of people, along with himself," and was determined by officials that the text was sent on Saturday at 5:03 p.m.
The affidavit states that law enforcement searched the area in which they found Couch's vehicle and in doing so, discovered a "green army-style duffle bag, several magazines of .223 cal/5.56 mm ammunition, and numerous spent shell casings." It goes on to note that the "inside of the duffle bag revealed it had 'Couch' handwritten in black marker."
According to the affidavit, not far from the ammo discovery was a "Cobalt AR-15 with a Holosum sight mounted to it and several additional AR-15 magazines."
An arrest warrant has been issued for Couch, who is charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault.
As of 1:30 p.m. on Monday, the manhunt for Couch continues in Laurel County.
The Laurel County Sheriff's Office states that an anonymous donor is offering $10,000 for anyone who provides information leading to Couch's arrest.
KSP also announced that a $5,000 reward is being offered through Crime Stoppers for information on his arrest.
Stay with LEX 18 as we work to bring the latest updates.
