Kentucky

Officials shift focus for London shooting suspect. What to know about the new approach

Published

2 months ago

September 17, 2024

Officials shift focus for London shooting suspect. What to know about the new approach

Kentucky officials are pivoting the focus of their search for Joseph Couch, the man accused of shooting five people and 12 cars on Interstate 75 on Sept. 7, away from the Daniel Boone National Forest and toward community centers, according to a Kentucky State Police news release issued Tuesday.

The announcement comes 10 days after the shooting occurred, which spurred a manhunt that sprawled 28,000 acres of rugged, dense forest and utilized helicopters, drones and on-the-ground search techniques. The manhunt is now called off, and law enforcement officials will focus on increasing their presence in nearby residential areas.

“In the beginning, the best way to find the suspect was in the forest. As that has become less likely over the past several days, our best plan to provide safety now is to augment law enforcement in this community to where our people are,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in the news release. “Beginning this afternoon, we will begin transitioning state and local law enforcement and agencies from a manhunt to a larger presence in the community. We stand united in this approach and our commitment to protect people of this region.”

The Kentucky State Police will continue leading the search effort in the Daniel Boone National Forest, albeit with scaled back methods, according to the release. The agency is withdrawing its personnel and will use aircraft and cameras that have been placed throughout the forest.

The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office will continue leading the shooting investigation, and state and local law enforcement presence in public areas, like along roadways, at schools and at sporting events, will increase.

“This 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,” Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said in the release. “We feel the best way to prioritize community safety is to use technology and aircraft while transitioning the bulk of our state and local law enforcement resources out of the forest and into our communities.”

U.S. Marshals consider Couch a fugitive

The U.S. Marshals Service is considering Couch a fugitive, spokesperson Jeremy Honaker said in the release. The federal fugitive task force, a law enforcement body focused on capturing wanted violent criminals, will continue to provide resources to local and state agencies in the search for Couch.

Couch, 32, was identified by Laurel County officials as a person of interest in the I-75 shooting the night of the incident. He was named a suspect a day later.

He’s been charged in the incident by Commonwealth’s Attorney Jackie Steele, the felony prosecutor for Laurel County, with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault.

Officials are offering a $35,000 reward for information leading to Couch’s arrest.

What happened in the London shooting?

Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched around 5:30 p.m. Sept. 7 following reports of a gunshot victim on I-75 near Exit 49 and U.S. Route 25, roughly eight miles north of London. Officers noticed multiple vehicles parked on the side of the highway with broken windows and visible bullet holes when they arrived. Twelve vehicles were found shot on both sides of the roadway and five individuals were injured — all of them survived.

The shooting caused an hours-long closure of I-75 as the search for a suspect commenced.

Authorities located Couch’s car, a silver SUV, the night of the shooting. On the afternoon of Sept. 8, police found an AR-15 in the wooded area near Exit 49 of I-75, along with fully loaded magazines. Authorities said at the time that the weapon may have been used in the shooting.

An employee of a nearby gun shop, Center Target Firearms, confirmed to police that Couch had purchased an AR-15 and 1,000 rounds of ammunition from the store the morning of the shooting, according to an affidavit released by the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. The firearm discovered by police matched the description of the one Couch purchased that day.

Couch also told the mother of his child via text that he was planning to “kill a lot of people” less than an hour before the incident, according to the affidavit. He added that he planned to kill himself afterward.

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Kentucky

Kentucky vs. Jackson State viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions

Published

57 mins ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Kentucky vs. Jackson State viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions

The Kentucky Wildcats are back in action Friday to face the Jackson State Tigers in the second game of the BBN Invitational.

To put it simply, Jackson State is bad, very bad. Sitting at 0-5 and ranked 321st in KenPom, the Tigers will likely be the worst opponent Kentucky will play all season.

Coached by Mo Williams, one of LeBron James’ old teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Tigers have only finished above .500 twice in the last decade. This season, Jackson State is predicted to finish fourth in the SWAC.

Mark Pope recently said he wanted to build a standard, regardless of opponent and, and that will be tested on Friday.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

More 3-Point Attempts

Admittedly nitpicking, one of the things that Mark Pope was not happy with in Kentucky’s win over Lipscomb was the amount of three-point attempts. While they shot nearly 50 percent from deep, going 12-25, Pope wants to see the number of attempts closer to 35.

The Tigers have allowed their opponents to shoot 47.8 percent from deep, the second-worst mark in the country. Pope and the staff will certainly generate a game plan to take advantage of this. Expect to see 30+ attempts.

Ball Movement

Despite beating Lipscomb by 29 points, the Wildcats had a season-low in assists with just ten. For context, Kentucky had averaged more than 23 assists per game entering the matchup.

“That’s not us. That’s not who we are,” Pope said after the game.

While there wasn’t a lot of selfishness, the ball just wasn’t ‘flying’ as it has been early this season. This is a priority for the staff and this mature group, and they will aim for 25+ assists.

Keep JSU off Free-Throw Line

Jackson State ranks in the top 100 nationally in one area: Free throws made per game. So, Kentucky, defend without fouling.

Kentucky’s offense makes headlines, but the defense has played very well to start the season, holding all four opponents to under 73 points. Let’s see if they can get down in a stance and defend well for 40 minutes vs. a team that stresses contact and drawing fouls.

Opposing Players to Watch

C Shannon Grant 6-11, 290 lbs

7.5 PPG
4.8
Preseason All-SWAC First Team selection

G Jayme Mitchell Jr 6-5, 190 lbs

15.0 PPG
3.8 RPG
44.4% 3P

F Romelle Mansel 6-9, 220 lbs

10.8 PPG
5.8 RPG
31.7% FG (second most FG attempts on the team)

Time: 7 PM ET on November 22nd

Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

TV Channel: This game will not be on TV and is streaming only,

Online Stream: SEC Network+, ESPN+, and the ESPN app.

Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.

Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).

Rosters: UK | JSU

Stats to Know: UK | JSU

KenPom: UK | JSU

Team Sheet: UK | JSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game, so check Thursday afternoon for an official spread. Multiple projections give Kentucky a 99% chance of winning: Bart Torvik (99%), EvanMiya (99.9%), and ESPN (99.0%). The exception is KenPom (92%).

Predictions: KenPom (93-63), Haslametrics (96-63), Bart Torvik (95-61), and EvanMiya (96-59) all are going with a 30+ point victory, Kentucky!

Be sure to send us your Kentucky vs. Jackson State score predictions! And Go CATS!!

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Kentucky

Kentucky vs. Texas Injury Report: Deone Walker, JJ Weaver and others set to return

Published

9 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Kentucky vs. Texas Injury Report: Deone Walker, JJ Weaver and others set to return

The Kentucky Wildcats are now getting prepared for one of their hardest games on the schedule as they travel to Austin for a date with the Texas Longhorns.

This disappointing season has also been riddled with injuries across the board for the Cats. Whether it has been offense or defense, Mark Stoops’ squad has not been close to full strength, really, one time this season.

That will be the case again in Austin, as the first injury report of the week has been released.

With D’Eryk Jackson and Gerald Mincey out alongside DJ Waller, it’s Courtland Ford and Kahlil Saunders who carry questionable designations as of Wednesday.

For some good news, however, JJ Weaver seems likely to play, as he is listed as probable.

In addition, Deone Walker, Barion Brown, and Jamon Dumas-Johnson are no longer on the injury report, so they’re set to return this week.

Going to be an interesting afternoon in Austin. Let’s see if any more names pop up on this report as the week continues.

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Kentucky

Cassidy Rowe is 'Kentucky's favorite child', and Kenny Brooks is starting to see why

Published

16 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Cassidy Rowe is 'Kentucky's favorite child', and Kenny Brooks is starting to see why

In Kentucky’s win over Purdue Fort Wayne, Cassidy Rowe played a huge part in giving the Cats the edge. For over 28 minutes, Kentucky played from behind, but Rowe made key shots and got momentum-swinging stops on defense to sway the game in Kentucky’s favor.

Kenny Brooks was quick to acknowledge the guard in his postgame press conference, pointing out just how proud he is of her.

“I’m really proud of Cassidy —not just for tonight,” Brooks said following the win over Purdue Fort Wayne. “Cassidy is Kentucky’s favorite child, and we got here, and we understand that, and her popularity is well-deserved. She’s a great kid.”

Brooks continued, “The way she’s handled everything, it has been tremendous because I think she played like, what, two minutes the other night [against Louisville], and she came back the next day, and we had practice, the starters didn’t play at all in practice, and she led her team. She is really trying to learn me. She’s really trying to learn me, and she’s trying to do it on the fly, and she’s doing it the right way.”

Part of what is contributing to Rowe’s overall growth is that she’s able to watch and learn from Georgia Amoore, one of the best guards in the country.

“She’s watching Georgia, she’s asking questions, and she’s catching on very quickly,” Brooks explained. She doesn’t hang her head whether she gets two minutes or 30 or 29 minutes — she’s got the same reaction. I think she likes what’s going on here. She’s enjoying playing basketball, and it’s just really fun. This is what you do it for. So, I coach college basketball because of opportunities. Like both of these young ladies right here, they just want to work hard. They just want to win, and you have one play 40 minutes, one and play two minutes, and they both came to practice with the same energy the next day.”

“Cassidy is waiting for her time, and Cassidy is building trust with me,” Brooks added. “She’s building a lot of trust with me. I could probably play her two minutes the next game, and she’s still going to come to practice and work her butt off to do what she can for the team, and that’s why we really relied on her tonight. So, both of them, I trust them, and their energy was fantastic.”

Rowe spoke to that — having her number called and being ready to contribute and bring the energy that the team needs to get over the hump.

“I know personally when you hear your number called, you have got to be ready,” Rowe said. “I felt like before the game, I was ready and locked in. Building off of your teammates too, if we are not all bringing the energy, then we are not in a good spot. So, just doing a better job encouraging the teammates to bring it, if somebody looks down, I say, ‘Lets bring it back up’.”

From last season to this season, Rowe is a completely different player. Now, as a junior, she’s one of the leaders of this team.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot, even the confidence side of things,” Rowe mentioned. “Last year was the first time I was getting playing time, I felt like I was still timid. I was playing not to make a mistake, rather than playing to help my team win. This year, the coaching staff has helped me build that confidence and play more physically. I feel like my teammates have helped a lot in that too. It’s just my teammates having trust in me, and I have trust in them. It built my confidence a lot.”

And as for her relationship with Georgia Amoore, it was interesting to see how that would unfold before the season. Rowe elected to not transfer out, even when she knew Amoore would come in and be the starting point guard, but why?

Well, for one, she’s a Wildcat through and through, but she’s also very appreciative of the opportunity to learn from one of the best guards there is.

“It means everything that I am still at Kentucky, it has always been a dream to play here,” Rowe noted. “Even when I heard that Georgia was coming in, that thought [of transferring] never crossed my mind. Georgia is one of the best point guards in the country, and the fact that I get to learn from her and pick her brain it’s truly been a blessing for me even building my own game.”