LONDON:
Kentucky police reported an “active shooter situation” on Saturday evening along Interstate 75 near London, Kentucky, where multiple individuals were shot in traffic. The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. (1000 GMT), approximately nine miles outside London, after reports of several vehicles being fired upon on Interstate 75 in Laurel County. It was reported that the shots were fired from either a wooded area or an overpass.
The exact number of victims and the severity of their injuries were not immediately clear, but the Louisville Courier-Journal cited Kentucky State Police, indicating that four to six people were injured. Authorities confirmed that the suspect remained at large.
Around three hours after the shooting, the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office identified a 32-year-old “person of interest,” described as “armed and dangerous,” urging the public to avoid the individual and the area.
London Mayor Randall Weddle advised residents on Facebook to avoid Interstate 75 near Exit 49, encouraging them to use alternative routes and stay away from the vicinity. Kentucky State Trooper Scottie Pennington also urged people to remain indoors as the suspect had not yet been apprehended.
Governor Andy Beshear acknowledged the situation on social media platform X, advising the public to avoid the area and requesting prayers for those involved. He promised further updates as information became available.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives were called in to assist Kentucky State Police and local authorities, referring to the situation as a “critical incident.”
London is a small city with a population of approximately 8,000, located near the Daniel Boone National Forest, 90 miles south of Lexington. The incident followed a recent mass shooting at a high school in Winder, Georgia, where two teachers and two students were killed, and nine others wounded.
