More details about the alleged Kentucky gunman, who previously served in the Army Reserves, are being released as authorities continue their search for him.
The search for Joseph A. Couch, 32, has entered the fourth day since he allegedly began firing at drivers on Interstate 75 near London, Kentucky on Saturday.
Investigators believe he fired a total of 20 to 30 rounds and struck 12 vehicles.
Five people were wounded during the shooting and Couch’s vehicle was recovered off Exit 49.
Search teams on the ground, helicopters, and drones in the air are being used to search the area in and around the Daniel Boone National Forest, according to Pennington.
The Daniel Boone National Forest manages more than 708,000 acres of national forest system lands within a 2.1 million-acre proclamation boundary and sits within 21 counties of eastern Kentucky, according to the US Forest Service.
It contains over 600 miles of trails to two federally recognized wildernesses but authorities remain hopeful they will find Couch.
A spokesman for the London state police post, Master Trooper Scottie Pennington, believes the search will result in finding Couch quickly.
“Our goal is to apply steady pressure at wearing Mr. Couch down,” Pennington told reporters during a news briefing. “… You know, last night, it had got pretty chilly, and today, it’s got kinda humid and hot. Hopefully, he has no water and nothing to eat.”
Authorities said Couch purchased a rifle and around 1,000 rounds of ammunition on Saturday morning in London, Kentucky.
Investigators say a woman has come forward and produced a screenshot of text messages from Couch.
“I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least,” a message read. “I’ll kill myself afterwards …”
It is not known if he is carrying any other firearms but authorities say he purchased an “AR-15” with ammunition on the same day of the shooting for $2,914.40.
They said a gun case and several full magazines were recovered in his vehicle.
Couch was in the Army Reserve from 2013 to 2019 as a combat engineer, an Army spokesperson told CBS News.
He left the Army Reserves at the rank of private and never deployed overseas but his relatives claim he suffers from PTSD, according to NBC.
According to court records, Couch is not a felon and legally purchased the firearm used during the shooting.
His records show a dismissal in March of a charge of making a terrorist threat and at least one alleged traffic violation.
Unconfirmed reports on Twitter indicate Couch has a Facebook profile that shows no activity since 2015.
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