Man accused of shooting 5 on Kentucky interstate vowed to 'kill a lot of people,' warrant says

LONDON, Ky. (AP) — The man suspected of opening fire on a highway in Kentucky sent a text message vowing to “kill a lot of people” less than 30 minutes before he shot and wounded five people on Interstate 75, authorities said in an arrest warrant.

“I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least,” Joseph Couch, 32, wrote in the text message, according to the warrant affidavit filed in court. In a separate text message, Couch wrote, “I’ll kill myself afterwards,” the affidavit says.

The Lexington Herald-Leader identified the woman Couch sent the text messages to as his ex-wife. The affidavit does not describe the relationship between Couch and the woman who received the texts.

The affidavit, written by Capt. Richard Dalrymple of the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, said that before authorities received the first report of the shooting about 5:30 p.m. Saturday, a dispatcher in Laurel County got a call from a woman who told them Couch had sent her the text messages at 5:03 p.m.

In response to that call, police initiated a tracker on Couch’s cellphone but the location wasn’t received until 6:53 p.m., the affidavit states, almost 90 minutes after the highway shooting.

The affidavit obtained by The Associated Press charges Couch with five counts each of criminal attempt to commit murder and first-degree assault.

On Sunday, law enforcement officers searched an area near where Couch’s vehicle was found, with a view of I-75. There, they found a green Army-style duffel bag, ammunition and numerous spent shell casings, the affidavit says. A short distance away, they found a Colt AR-15 rifle with a site mounted to the weapon and several additional magazines. The duffel bag had “Couch” hand-written in black marker.

Searchers have been combing thousands of acres in the rugged, hilly area near London, a small city of about 8,000 people about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Lexington.

State police Master Trooper Scottie Pennington, a spokesman for the London post, said troopers are being brought in from across the state to aid in the search focused on a remote area about 8 miles (13 kilometers) north of London. He described the extensive search area as “walking in a jungle” with machetes needed to cut through thickets.

“We have cliff beds. We have sinkholes. We have caves,” Pennington said Monday. “We have culverts that go under the interstate. We have creeks and rivers and the dense brush.”

Authorities vowed to keep up their relentless pursuit in the densely wooded area as local residents worried about where the shooter might turn up next.

“We’re not going to quit until we do lay hands on him,” Laurel County Sheriff John Root said.

Rebecca Puryear told the Lexington Herald-Leader she’s thankful to be alive after she was shot across her chest in her right arm. She was with her husband and 4-year-old son coming home after a meal at Olive Garden.

Another bullet burst into fragments upon hitting the door of her Toyota Camry, injuring her left arm, too.

“I looked at my husband and said, ‘What was that?’ He said it was gunshots. I said, ‘Oh my God!’ “ Puryear, 28, told the newspaper.

She was “gushing blood," but her husband urged her to keep driving. She pulled over a mile up the road and her husband told her to take off her shirt and press it to the wound while he called 911.

Puryear is out of the hospital but will have to have surgery at a later date. .

“This man was out to kill, and he almost did,” Puryear said, adding: “In a blink of an eye you could not be here. I don’t want nobody else’s family to go through this.”

Meanwhile, area school districts were shut down Monday across a wide swath of southeastern Kentucky as the search for Couch stretched into a third day.

Donna Hess, who lives 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the shooting scene agreed with the decision to close schools.

“I’d be afraid he’d try to hijack the bus and take the kids as hostages," said Hess, who has a first grader and a preschooler. “I’m worried about everybody because they don’t know where he’s at ... We don’t know what he’s capable of right now.”

Couch most recently lived in Woodbine, a small community about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the shooting scene. An employee of a gun store in London, Center Target Firearms, informed authorities that Couch purchased an AR-15 and 1,000 rounds of ammunition hours before the shooting, the affidavit said.

Joe Arnold, the gun store’s manager, declined to comment Monday. He said he did not want to interfere with the investigation.

“We’d love for him to be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Arnold told the AP.

Kentucky has few regulations on purchasing guns and carrying them in public. The state’s gun laws “are among the worst in the country” according to a report by Everytown For Gun Safety, a gun safety nonprofit group.

Kentucky legislators repealed a law in 2019 that required a permit for carrying a concealed weapon. The state also does not require a background check at the point of purchase.

Authorities in Kentucky said Monday that Couch was in the Army Reserve and not the National Guard, as officials initially indicated. The U.S. Army said in a statement that Couch served from 2013 to 2019 as a combat engineer. He was a private when he left and had no deployments.

Pennington said Monday that military experience doesn't make Couch a trained survivalist, while the plan is to wear Couch down.

“How long can you really survive?” Pennington said. "We hope he just walks out.”

Authorities said Couch fired 20 to 30 rounds, striking 12 vehicles on the interstate Saturday.

Christina DiNoto, who witnessed the shooting while driving, said Monday the search weighs heavily on her mind.

“To know that he’s still at large — that makes me nervous, honestly,” DiNoto said.

Associated Press reporters Tara Copp in Washington, Leah Willingham in Charleston, West Virginia, and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this story.

Laurel County Sheriff John Root addresses the media to give an update on the efforts to find the suspect in the shooting at I-75 at the Livingston Ky. exit at the Laurel County Sheriff's Office in London, Ky., Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Kentucky State Police Public Information Officer Master Seargeant Scottie Pennington addresses the media to give an update on the efforts to find the suspect in the shooting at I-75 at the Livingston Ky. exit at the Laurel County Sheriff's Office in London, Ky., Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

This image released by the Mount Vernon Fire Department shows traffic stopped during an active shooting on Interstate 75 north of London, Ky., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Camden Mink/Mount Vernon Fire Department via AP)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, public information officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives details Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the progress of the investigation into the shooting along Interstate 75 on Saturday in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, public information officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives details Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the progress of the investigation into the shooting along Interstate 75 on Saturday in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, Public information Officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives an update on the progress of the search for the suspect linked to the shooting along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, Public information Officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives details on the progress of the investigation of the shooting along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, Public information Officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives details on the progress of the investigation of the shooting along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Rodney Goodlett, Pastor of the Faith Assembly Church, reacts to the shooting along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Rodney Goodlett, Pastor of the Faith Assembly Church, gives his reaction to the shooting along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Cody Shepherd talks about all of the rumors that circulated following a shooting on Saturday along Interstate 75 near London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

London, Ky. Mayor Randall Weddle makes comments to the media regarding the shooting that happened near his town along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

London, Ky. Mayor Randall Weddle makes comments to the media regarding the shooting that happened near his town along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

London, Ky. Mayor Randall Weddle makes comments to the media regarding the shooting that happened near his town along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Trees stand in wooded areas alongside Interstate 75 near Livingston, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, as police search for a suspect in a shooting Saturday along the Interstate. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Trees stand in wooded areas alongside Interstate 75 near Livingston, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, as police search for a suspect in a shooting Saturday along the Interstate. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Kentucky State Police Major Eric Walker gives an update at the London Community Center in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the efforts to find the suspect in the Saturday shooting at Interstate 75 near Livingston, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Stansbury gives an update at the London Community Center in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the efforts to find the suspect in the Saturday shooting at Interstate 75 near Livingston, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

London Mayor Randall Weddle gives an update at the London Community Center in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the efforts to find the suspect in the Saturday shooting at Interstate 75 near Livingston, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Kentucky State Police Public Information Officer Master Sergeant Scottie Pennington gives an update at the London Community Center in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the efforts to find the suspect in the Saturday shooting at Interstate 75 near Livingston, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Laurel County Sheriff's Captain Richard Dalrymple gives an update at the London Community Center in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the efforts to find the suspect in the Saturday shooting at Interstate 75 near Livingston, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Laurel County sheriff John Root gives an update at the London Community Center in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the efforts to find the suspect in the Saturday shooting at Interstate 75 near Livingston, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Despite playing some of the best football, Paris Saint-Germain is once again on the brink of an early exit from Europe’s elite club competition.

The French league leader — which has lost at this stage of the tournament in five of the past eight editions — travels to Liverpool later Tuesday for a mouth-watering Champions League last 16 tie, trailing 1-0 from the first leg.

The result was in no way a reflection of last week’s match at the Parc des Princes, where Luis Enrique’s side was excellent but failed to convert a myriad of chances against the Premier League leader.

PSG was ultimately punished by a late goal from Harvey Elliott, with Liverpool’s second attempt on target compared to a whopping 28 shots for the home team.

"We’ll go there and show ourselves to be a team that deserves to go through,” Enrique said. “We’ve got nothing to lose.”

In other matches Tuesday, Barcelona defends a 1-0 lead against Benfica, Inter Milan hosts Feyenoord on the back of a 2-0 away win in the first leg, and Bayern Munich travels to Bayer Leverkusen after comprehensively beating its Bundesliga rival 3-0.

The loss to Liverpool was PSG’s first defeat since November and halted a run of 10 straight wins for the Qatari-backed team, which has good reason to believe it can produce a comeback.

After relying for years on the individual brilliance of big stars such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, PSG has changed its approach since Enrique's arrival and the new philosophy is bringing dividends since the turn of the year.

Striker Ousmane Dembele has emerged as a major force within a free-flowing system on offense, while Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been in remarkable form since joining. In attack, PSG plays with great fluidity and imagination, and a hard-working team defends as a unit.

In Paris last week, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson was the main reason behind his team's smash-and-grab win. He made nine saves, compared to none for PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma.

“This is the most complete team we’ve faced so far,” Liverpool coach Arne Slot said about PSG. "Of course, we have played Arsenal, Real Madrid, Manchester City. But they have so much quality with a great coach. He let them play in a way that is not easy to play against, with an incredible work rate. That is why we have to be at our best.”

After coming out on top 5-4 in a spectacular match in the league phase, Barcelona had to be content with a tight 1-0 in Lisbon last week. Raphinha scored the winner for his team, which played more than 70 minutes with 10 men after Pau Cubarsi was sent off.

Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was almost as crucial in Barcelona's win as Alisson was for Liverpool, with several big saves.

“Our aim is to feel confident,” said Benfica coach Bruno Lage. "We created many opportunities when we played them and we felt that we could have had different results in both games."

Overturning a 3-0 deficit against Bayern Munich is a tall order, but also a big motivation for Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso.

“The mindset has to be that if there is a chance, we will fight for it,” he said. "We don’t give up so easily. Three goals? You never know. One goal can change anything.”

Alonso has good reasons to be confident since Bayern had gone six games without a win against Leverkusen prior to the first leg. History, however, is on Bayern's side. The Munich club has made it to the last eight a record 22 times in the Champions League era.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Liverpool manager Arne Slot attends a team training session at the AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, England, Monday March 10, 2025, a day ahead of their Champions League round of 16 match against PSG. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Liverpool players attend a team training session at the AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, England, Monday March 10, 2025, a day ahead of their Champions League round of 16 match against PSG. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Munich's Harry Kane applauds supporters after the Champions League round of 16 first leg soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP)

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique sits on the bench prior to the French League One soccer match between Rennes and Paris Saint-Germain at Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes, France, Saturday March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthieu Mirville)

Munich's Jamal Musiala celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League round of 16 first leg soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

PSG's Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele and Goncalo Ramos attend a training session at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Monday, March 10, 2025, a day ahead of their Champions League round of 16 match against Liverpool. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)