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WASHINGTON — Multiple people have been shot along a highway in the US state of Kentucky, officials said Saturday, as authorities in the southern state hunted for the perpetrator.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said Interstate 75 was closed in both directions due to the “active shooter situation” near the freeway, warning that “numerous persons have been shot.”
“The Suspect has not been caught at this time we are urging people to stay inside!” Trooper Scottie Pennington of Kentucky State Police posted on Facebook.
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The rural county is some 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of the city of Lexington along I-75, a major north-south artery cutting across the eastern half of the United States.
Gun violence is common in the United States, a country where there are more firearms than people.
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Despite polls showing Americans favor more gun restrictions, a powerful gun rights lobby, constitutional protections and a passionate culture around firearm ownership mean that attempts to clamp down on gun rights are always met with stiff political resistance.