People take once unthinkable precautions as police search for the Kentucky highway shooter

LONDON, Ky. (AP) — Jittery residents living near where a gunman opened fire on a Kentucky highway are taking precautions they never thought would be needed in their rural region, as searchers combed the woods Tuesday hoping to find the suspect.

Brandi Campbell said her family has gone to bed early and kept the lights off in the evenings since five people were wounded in the attack Saturday on Interstate 75 near London, a city of about 8,000 people roughly 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Lexington.

“We go home and lights go off, and we go upstairs and our doors stay locked,” she said.

Several area school districts remained closed Tuesday while a few others shifted to remote learning as the search for Joseph Couch, 32, stretched into a fourth day.

Searchers have been combing through an expansive area of rugged and hilly terrain near where the shooting occurred north of London. There is nothing to suggest he slipped away, said Master Trooper Scottie Pennington, a spokesman for the state police's London post.

Questions arose whether there is anything to indicate Couch is dead or alive.

“Some people say ‘What if he’s not alive anymore?' " Pennington told reporters. “Well, we’re going to stay in the woods until we find him. That’s our job. If he’s dead or alive, it’s our job to try to find him.”

If Couch has died, “nature takes care of itself” and buzzards could gather overhead, which could be a sign for searchers, Pennington said.

Less than 30 minutes before he shot 12 vehicles and wounded five people, Couch sent a text message vowing to “kill a lot of people," authorities allege in an arrest warrant.

“I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least,” Couch wrote in the text message, according to the warrant affidavit obtained by The Associated Press. In a separate text, Couch wrote, “I’ll kill myself afterwards,” the affidavit says.

The affidavit does not describe the relationship between Couch and the woman who received the texts, but the Lexington Herald-Leader identified her as his ex-wife.

The affidavit prepared by the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said that before authorities received the first report of the shooting at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, a dispatcher in Laurel County got a call from the woman who told them Couch had sent her the texts 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.

As search teams kept up their methodical work, aided by more helicopters above, authorities were hoping that a lack of basic necessities might lead Couch to surrender if he is still hiding in the woods.

“I hope he doesn't have water,” Pennington said. “I hope he doesn't have food. And I hope he's worn out and eventually he'll walk out of them woods.”

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 sight mounted to the weapon and several additional magazines. The duffel bag had “Couch” hand-written in black marker.

Couch fired 20 to 30 rounds in Saturday’s attack, striking 12 vehicles on the interstate, investigators said.

Pennington has said troopers had been brought in from across the state to aid in the search. He described the extensive search area as “walking in a jungle,” with machetes needed to cut through thickets.

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

Donna Hess, who lives 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the shooting scene, said she hasn't let her children go outside to play since the shooting.

“I'm just afraid to even go to the door if somebody knocks,” she said.

Pennington said authorities are “working their guts out” to find Couch and end such fear.

“It’s hard when people are so in fear right now that there’s probably somebody out there,” he said.

Schreiner reported from Louisville.

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)

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)

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)

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)

Shares were mixed in Asia on Tuesday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average set a record as Wall Street geared up for Federal Reserve’s most anticipated meeting in years.

Tokyo’s Nikkei index fell 2% to 35,828.54 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong advanced 1.4% to 17,661.70.

Markets in mainland China and South Korea were closed.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.3% to 8,143.00.

Traders are eagerly awaiting the Fed's decision Wednesday on interest rates, which it is expected to cut for the first time in more than four years. The U.S. central bank has been keeping rates high to tamp down inflation and the main question is how much relief for the economy the Fed will deliver.

“The warning is that markets steeped in rich policy expectations are ripe for volatility,” Mizuho Bank said in a commentary. “Accordingly, it may be best to be braced for (policy) curveballs that could potentially force market re-pricing.”

On Monday, the Dow rose 228 points, or 0.6%, to surpass its prior all-time high set a few weeks ago. It closed at 41,622.08.

The S&P 500 index, which is much more comprehensive and widely followed on Wall Street, ticked up by 0.1% to climb within 0.6% of its own record set in July, ending at 5,633.09.

The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.5% to 17,592.13 as big technology stocks and other market superstars gave back a bit of their big gains from recent years.

Most stocks rose, and Oracle’s 5.1% gain helped lead the market. The software company continued a strong run that began last week with a better-than-expected profit report.

Alcoa jumped 6.1% after saying it would sell its ownership stake in a Saudi Arabian joint venture to Saudi Arabian Mining Co. for $950 million in stock and $150 million in cash. But drops for some influential Big Tech stocks kept indexes in check. Apple fell 2.8% and Nvidia lost 1.9%. They’re among the market’s most influential stocks because they’re among the largest by market value.

Carl Icahn’s Icahn Enterprises rose 14.5% after it said a U.S. judge dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the company, one based on allegations by a research firm that looks for financial irregularities at companies and tries to profit when the stock prices fall.

Fertilizer producer Mosaic fell 3.6% after it said electrical equipment failures at mines and Hurricane Francine will reduce its production of potash and phosphate in the current quarter.

Traders are shifting bets toward a larger-than-usual rate cut by the Fed of half a percentage point, according to data from CME Group. The difference between a half-point cut and a quarter may sound academic, but it can have far-ranging effects. Lower rates relieve pressure on the economy, but it can also fuel inflation.

Inflation has eased substantially from its peak two summers ago, and the Fed has said it can now focus on supporting the slowing job market and economy. Some critics say it may be moving too late, increasing the risk of a possible recession.

In other dealings, the dollar fell to 140.56 Japanese yen from 140.61 yen. The yen has risen with expectations that the Bank of Japan will persist in raising rates after keeping them near zero for years, although it is expected to stand pat at its policy meeting this week.

“The Bank of Japan’s upcoming policy meeting is expected to reaffirm its commitment to gradual rate hikes, which could further bolster the yen soon,” Luca Santos, currency analyst at ACY Securities, said in a commentary.

The euro slipped to $1.1127 from $1.1135.

U.S. benchmark crude oil rose 49 cents to $70.58 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 32 cents to $73.07 a barrel.

AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.

FILE - The American flag hangs from the front of the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 10, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

FILE - A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

FILE - A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm in Tokyo, on Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)