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09-09-2024
CITY OF LONDON, KENTUCKY: A manhunt is underway in Kentucky after a number of people were shot along a highway near the city of London on Saturday.
The incident began at about 18:00 local time when police responded to a report of vehicles being fired upon near Interstate 75.
Seven people have been injured in the incident, according to Mayor Randall Weddle of London.
He said not all of these injuries were by gunshot, and that no one has been killed.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office has named 32-year-old Joseph A Couch as a person of interest, and warned the public he is considered armed and dangerous.
According to local media, shots may have been fired from a wooded area near to the highway, or from an overpass.
“The suspect or suspects have not been apprehended at this time, but they are searching for them,” said Mayor Randall in a video posted on Facebook at about 21:30 local time.
“Where they are currently, that is some rugged terrain and a lot of tree lines,” he said.
Speaking to media, Christina DiNoto, who was driving on Interstate 75 with a friend at the time of the shooting said “it was like a rock went through my back window”, hurting her ear.
“We looked at each other and we were like, ‘Was that a gunshot?’ and then we’re like, ‘No, that wasn’t a gunshot.’”
She said it was only an hour and a half later they learnt that it had been a shooting.
Later on Friday, Mount Vernon Fire Department said a section of the highway close to where the shooting happened had reopened, after being closed for about three hours.
A spokesperson for the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington told media that it had received at least two patients from the incident so far but there was no word on their conditions.
Trooper Scottie Pennington, a Kentucky State Police spokesperson, urged residents in the area to stay inside.
Members of the public have been warned not to approach the person of interest.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives also confirmed it was involved in the search.
Earlier, Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear wrote on social media that law enforcement had “shut the interstate down in both directions” near to where the shooting happened.
He said the area should be avoided, and urged the public to “pray for everyone involved”.
London is a small city of about 8,000 residents near the Daniel Boone National Forest.
The governor said he’s hearing “initial reports” from the state police and the state’s Office of Homeland Security.
“Together we are actively monitoring the situation and offering support in any way possible. Please pray for everyone involved,” he said in another statement.
London, Ky., is located around 80 miles south of Lexington.
Matt Downing told media he’s been stuck on the interstate for more than an hour after police stopped traffic due to the active shooter situation. Downing was traveling on I-75 north when a police car began swerving in all lanes to stop traffic, he said.
In a video shared with media, a police car can be seen traveling at a fast speed by traffic. (Int’l News Desk)
