LONDON, Ky. — The manhunt for an alleged mass shooter continued Wednesday in Laurel County, five days after the incident occurred. Investigators are still trying to find Joseph Couch, 32, of Woodbine, the man they say shot and injured five people.

What You Need To Know

  • William Bishop was the paramedic officer in charge Saturday when a mass shooting took place on I-75 

  • Bishop said it was the first time he dealt with a shooting of that magnitude in his 28 year career 

  • Five victims were shot and injured, all are expected to recover 

  • Investigators lead by Kentucky State Police continue to search for the alleged shooter, Joseph Couch

Kentucky State Police canceled a previously announced news briefing on Wednesday, but say they will continue to search for Couch until they find him. KSP said they will only hold briefings if there is new information or updates they can share with the public and media.

Spectrum News 1 spoke with William Bishop, a paramedic who responded to Saturday’s mass shooting. Bishop said he is still in disbelief that something like that happened in Laurel County.

“It’s like did they say what I think they said,” Bishop said.

Bishop was the officer in charge Saturday at Ambulance Inc. of Laurel County when 32-year-old Couch allegedly opened fire on Interstate 75. Bishop said the initial call came in at around 5:30 p.m.

“It came out initially as a shooting and then when we got our first two trucks in route it came out that we had multiple victims,” Bishop said.

Five people were shot with injuries, and at least 12 cars were struck by gunfire according to investigators. Bishop said it’s not his first shooting call, but the first to this scale in his 28-year career.

“We’ve had several shootings over the years with two or three people shot and we go to shootings monthly basically here, there or yonder, but nothing quite like this,” Bishop said.

Bishop said it was all hands-on deck and quickly called in off-duty paramedics.

“Even though this was a major event, we still have to be able to provide for somebody else that calls 9-1-1 for something else,” Bishop said.

KSP, FBI and other crews continue their search for Couch in Daniel Boone National Forest. At Tuesday’s briefing, Trooper Scottie Pennington said troopers have no reason to believe Couch has left the area.

“We’ll keep going until we’re told otherwise or until we can find Mr. Couch or until something leads us in another direction,” Pennington said.

KSP said all five victims are expected to recover.

“It’s amazing. I mean, it’s a miracle,” Bishop said.

Ambulance Inc. of Laurel County receives around 14,000 calls a year.

Law enforcement is still asking people to avoid hiking, hunting and other activities in that area of the forest. Residents are also reminded to lock their doors and report anything that seems out of the ordinary.

Many area schools continued to be closed Wednesday or opted for non-traditional instruction citing safety concerns.

A $35,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the location and arrest of Couch.

Related Stories