Authorities have identified a “person of interest” in connection with a shooting in a rural area of ​​southeastern Kentucky near Interstate 75 on Saturday evening that left at least seven people injured and one crash.

London police have asked the public to come forward with any information on the whereabouts or location of Joseph A. Couch, a 32-year-old white man from Woodbine, Kentucky, who is approximately 5’10” tall and weighs approximately 150 pounds. The man is considered “armed and dangerous” and citizens should not attempt to approach him.

According to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, officers were dispatched to a complaint of a gunshot victim on I-75 at exit 49 around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The area where the incident occurred is about eight miles from London, south of Lexington.

When they arrived at the scene, they found chaos, as nine vehicles traveling in both directions on the road had been shot at, “leaving five people seriously injured.” The victims were taken to a hospital for treatment. While five people were shot, two others were injured in the car crash.

“When our first two units arrived on the scene, they said it was a madhouse: people on the side of the road, hazard lights on, bullet holes, windows shot out, nine vehicles shot at. Can you imagine? Just chaos,” said Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesman for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, during a press conference early Sunday.

London Mayor Randall Weddle told WVLT-TV Saturday night that investigators were able to identify Couch based on the fact that his vehicle was at the scene of the crash on I-75.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Department wrote on Facebook that Couch “is believed to be heavily armed and has multiple rounds of ammunition,” and shared a mugshot from a February 8, 2024, arrest in Knox County, Kentucky.

I-75 was closed for several hours while additional sheriff’s officers and Kentucky State Police secured the scene and began searching for the shooter. According to the sheriff’s office’s latest update on the shooting, which was released about two hours before this article was published, Couch was not apprehended Saturday evening. The active search for the man is expected to resume at daybreak Sunday morning, along with further investigation.

Up to 13 different authorities as well as police and emergency services are involved in the searches and investigations.

Weddle urged London residents to stay home and be vigilant. “We want people to be vigilant if they have to go out tonight,” he said. “I’m urging people and people in the community to stay home, just stay home tonight.” He added that he was confident Couch would be found soon.

At Sunday’s press conference, Acciardo said authorities had “cordoned off an area” trying to find the shooter there. On Saturday evening, they searched a remote wooded area in Laurel County, where the search will resume at daybreak.

Acciardo said investigators have not yet determined whether Couch “is the person who fired the gun.”

Newsweek I contacted Deputy Acciardo via email on Sunday morning outside of normal business hours to obtain further information.