With the I-75 shooter still at large, students stay home for a week as police urge residents to avoid some outdoor activities

Thousands of tips have poured in from several states. But the man accused of raining bullets onto Interstate 75 in Kentucky keeps evading capture – prompting more school closures and a plea for nearby residents to avoid the wilderness.

Thousands of tips have poured in from several states. But the man accused of raining bullets onto Interstate 75 in Kentucky keeps evading capture – prompting more school closures and a plea for nearby residents to avoid the wilderness. The manhunt for Joseph Couch, 32, enters a seventh day Friday as authorities scour the vast, rugged wilderness of the Daniel Boone National Forest in eastern Kentucky. Couch is accused of wounding five people from afar with an AR-15 rifle shortly after texting a woman to say, “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least.” “This is an individual we believe is still armed (and) would be very difficult to spot,” Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. “We want to make sure that we don’t lose anybody throughout this.” Authorities have been grappling with treacherous terrain, including sinkholes and caves. The brush is so thick, officers must use machetes to slice through it. The colossal forest spans 1,106 square miles – an area larger than Los Angeles and New York City combined.