Authorities shifted their strategy Tuesday while trying to track down an , pulling searchers from the woods to bolster patrols in communities near where the gunman opened fire, hitting a dozen vehicles and wounding five people.
After searching 28,000 acres over 11 days, authorities acknowledged they人妖色情片檙e no closer to finding the suspected gunman, 32-year-old Joseph Couch. Hundreds of law enforcement personnel were assigned to ground and air search efforts, which focused on a rugged, wooded area near London, a city of about 8,000 people roughly 75 miles south of Lexington.
人妖色情片淲e do not have any specific evidence or any details that have led us any closer to his apprehension at this time,人妖色情片 Kentucky State 人妖色情片 Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said in an update Tuesday.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear added: 人妖色情片淚 don人妖色情片檛 think you can definitively say he人妖色情片檚 still in the forest, he人妖色情片檚 outside of the forest, or that he人妖色情片檚 still alive.人妖色情片 He called the shooting an 人妖色情片渁ct of violence and evil人妖色情片 and said the plan now is to bolster security in area communities in hopes of calming fears among residents.
人妖色情片 have received more than 400 tips since the Sept. 7 shooting on Interstate 75, most pointing to areas outside the sprawling forest, Burnett said. The decision was made to reassign law officers from the woods to the communities to bolster security as people resume their lives.
人妖色情片淥n day 11, we know that bringing the boots on the ground from the forest into the communities is going to give the best reassurance to our citizens that if he人妖色情片檚 still out there, we are right here with you 人妖色情片 where you go to school, where you go to church,人妖色情片 Beshear said.
Resident Heather Blankenship said she welcomed the increased police patrols, citing the anxiety she has felt while driving in the area since the interstate shooting.
人妖色情片淟ooking up on the cliffsides, that人妖色情片檚 not normal,人妖色情片 she said by phone. 人妖色情片淟ooking up in the trees, that人妖色情片檚 not normal. Thinking that someone could just 人妖色情片榦ff人妖色情片 you in a split second, when you人妖色情片檙e driving from point A to point B. You shouldn人妖色情片檛 have that kind of fear in America.人妖色情片
Blankenship said she and her daughter drove through the shooting scene around the time of the interstate attack. She said she heard popping sounds and saw a couple of vehicles pulled over. She didn人妖色情片檛 know about the shooting until later when her sister contacted her. The vehicle she was in was not hit by a bullet. 人妖色情片 have said some motorists didn人妖色情片檛 realize their vehicles were struck by the gunfire until later.
Schools reopened Tuesday with extra security in the county where the shooting occurred. Schools in the Laurel County district were in session for the first time since the assailant sprayed bullets onto I-75.
School district administrators worked with law enforcement on the reopening plan, which provides enhanced security for buses, school campuses and extracurricular activities.
人妖色情片 increased patrols along most rural bus routes in the southeastern Kentucky school district, administrators said in a message on the district人妖色情片檚 website. Parents were urged to keep their children inside, if possible, until the bus arrived. Law enforcement bolstered its presence to monitor each school campus, and patrols were increased for after-school events.
人妖色情片淲e appreciate the support, trust and cooperation of our families and the community as we safely return to school,人妖色情片 the district said in its message.
Students had shifted to virtual learning for several days after the shooting.
Blankenship said she was comfortable sending her three children back to school with the extra police presence.
人妖色情片淚 have more anxiety driving down the road in town than I do my children being in school,人妖色情片 she said.
人妖色情片 have urged area residents to be vigilant and look out for their neighbors as searchers try to track down the suspect. Cameras placed in the forest will enable authorities to monitor the area in case Couch might still be hunkered down there. Searchers contended with cliff beds, sinkholes, caves and dense brush in the vast search area.
Burnett stressed that the new strategy was a reallocation of personnel, not a drawdown. The massive response to the shooting has included federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. State police added reinforcements by bringing in troopers from other posts across the state. They are part of the surging patrols meant to safeguard area residents.
人妖色情片淭his will include moving patrols onto roadways, increasing security and visibility at local schools and bus routes and increasing the presence of law enforcement at local sporting events,人妖色情片 Burnett said.
The ultimate objective remains the same 人妖色情片 finding the suspect.
人妖色情片淲e will not rest until Mr. Couch is brought into custody,人妖色情片 Laurel County Sheriff John Root said.
The day after the shooting, authorities searched an area near where Couch人妖色情片檚 vehicle was found, with a view of I-75. There, they found an Army-style duffel bag, ammunition and spent shell casings, authorities said in an arrest warrant affidavit.
A short distance away, they found an AR-15 rifle with a sight mounted to the weapon and several additional magazines. The duffel bag had 人妖色情片淐ouch人妖色情片 handwritten in black marker. Couch fired 20 to 30 rounds in the attack, investigators said.
Shortly before the shooting, Couch wrote in a text message: 人妖色情片淚人妖色情片檓 going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least.人妖色情片 In a separate text message, Couch wrote, 人妖色情片淚人妖色情片檒l kill myself afterwards.人妖色情片 The messages were revealed in the affidavit.
