Manhunt intensifies for Kentucky highway shooting suspect who evaded police
The suspect wanted in a highway shooting spree evaded authorities after retreating deep into a forested swath of southeastern Kentucky.
A grueling manhunt for the suspect wanted in a highway shooting spree stretched into its fifth day as authorities said they believe he retreated deep into a forested swath of southeastern Kentucky with no indication he has fled elsewhere.
The search for Joseph A. Couch, a former Army reservist, has used helicopters and drones equipped with infrared technology, while special response teams and trained dogs are tracking him across thousands of acres likened to a jungle. Troopers are hacking through thick vegetation with machetes and scouring the sandstone cliffsides and caves for any sign they're advancing closer.
Officials said Couch, 32, wounded five people Saturday evening in what appeared to be a random attack, and they fear he is determined to kill.
As efforts continued Thursday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference that four of the victims have since been released from the hospital with the fifth “expected to survive.”
Law enforcement officials are also asking the public for tips of any sightings of Couch and maintain he must be desperate and dehydrated if he remains alive in the woods.
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