The neighbours of Interstate 75 suspected shooter, who has been accused of shooting five random people on the streets over the weekend, revealed that he threatened to kill them in past.
The main suspect has been identified as 32-year-old Joseph Couch who allegedly shot five people over the weekend and is now the subject of a manhunt, CBS News reported.
Describing their encounters with Couch, one of the neighbours disclosed that he had previously pointed his rifle at them, acted erratically, and even appeared to walk in circles outdoors while holding a rifle at his property.
On February 8, Couch was arrested on a charge of terroristic threatening, 3rd degree at his home in Gray, Kentucky, which is located about 20 miles south of Exit 49 on I-75, where the shooting took place. The arrest was made after a neighbor called police, claiming that Couch had thrown a rock at the family’s dog and pointed a loaded AR-style rifle at him and his 9-year-old child when confronted about the incident.
The neighbor stated, “He went in his house, grabbed an AR-15, pointed it at mine and my daughter’s direction, said next time he would shoot me and my daughter.” The charges were eventually dropped after the neighbor failed to show up to a court hearing due to not being notified of the date. Following the incident, three family dogs were found dead on the neighbor’s property, two of which had been poisoned.
Another neighbor, Donald Causey, 61, reported having a good relationship with Couch until earlier this year when his demeanor appeared to change. Causey said that things escalated last week when Couch allegedly pulled a rifle on him for walking near his property. “He went back in his house, and he came back out and he pointed his rifle and said ‘I’ll just kill you,'” Causey said. Although Causey did not contact police due to their past friendly relationship, he now regrets not doing so given the I-75 shooting. Causey also mentioned that Couch appeared to be struggling with his mental health, stating, “If you talk to him 15 seconds you can tell.”
According to an arrest warrant, just minutes prior to the I-75 shooting on Saturday, Couch sent text messages saying “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least,” and “I’ll kill myself afterwards.” The woman who received the text messages called a dispatcher to report them. Couch is now charged with five counts each of criminal attempt to commit murder and first-degree assault for the shootings, which wounded five people, as per CBS News.
Since Saturday, searchers have been combing through thousands of acres in a rugged area of southeast Kentucky, including in and around the Daniel Boone National Forest, looking for Couch. Officials are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The main suspect has been identified as 32-year-old Joseph Couch who allegedly shot five people over the weekend and is now the subject of a manhunt, CBS News reported.
Describing their encounters with Couch, one of the neighbours disclosed that he had previously pointed his rifle at them, acted erratically, and even appeared to walk in circles outdoors while holding a rifle at his property.
On February 8, Couch was arrested on a charge of terroristic threatening, 3rd degree at his home in Gray, Kentucky, which is located about 20 miles south of Exit 49 on I-75, where the shooting took place. The arrest was made after a neighbor called police, claiming that Couch had thrown a rock at the family’s dog and pointed a loaded AR-style rifle at him and his 9-year-old child when confronted about the incident.
The neighbor stated, “He went in his house, grabbed an AR-15, pointed it at mine and my daughter’s direction, said next time he would shoot me and my daughter.” The charges were eventually dropped after the neighbor failed to show up to a court hearing due to not being notified of the date. Following the incident, three family dogs were found dead on the neighbor’s property, two of which had been poisoned.
Another neighbor, Donald Causey, 61, reported having a good relationship with Couch until earlier this year when his demeanor appeared to change. Causey said that things escalated last week when Couch allegedly pulled a rifle on him for walking near his property. “He went back in his house, and he came back out and he pointed his rifle and said ‘I’ll just kill you,'” Causey said. Although Causey did not contact police due to their past friendly relationship, he now regrets not doing so given the I-75 shooting. Causey also mentioned that Couch appeared to be struggling with his mental health, stating, “If you talk to him 15 seconds you can tell.”
According to an arrest warrant, just minutes prior to the I-75 shooting on Saturday, Couch sent text messages saying “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least,” and “I’ll kill myself afterwards.” The woman who received the text messages called a dispatcher to report them. Couch is now charged with five counts each of criminal attempt to commit murder and first-degree assault for the shootings, which wounded five people, as per CBS News.
Since Saturday, searchers have been combing through thousands of acres in a rugged area of southeast Kentucky, including in and around the Daniel Boone National Forest, looking for Couch. Officials are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.