As the manhunt for Joseph Couch spills into its fifth day, a former neighbor claims the suspected Kentucky highway shooter brandished an AR-15 and threatened to kill him and his dog earlier this year.
The Knox County, Kentucky neighbor, who requested anonymity out of fear for his safety, said he and Couch, 32, were initially cordial.
"He was a very quiet person," the neighbor told WKYT-TV Tuesday. "He would say 'hi,' he would let his son come over here."
Things changed when Couch reportedly threw a rock at the man's dog in February, prompting a confrontation between the pair.
"Next thing I know, the man goes in his house, comes back out, and me and my 9-year-old are staring at a man with an AR pointed at us, and [he] said the next time that he would shoot us and the dog," the neighbor explained.
The man said he found his dog dead several days later, but the cause of death remains unclear.
The neighbor said he filed a police report and Couch was arrested on a terroristic threatening charge. But, the Knox County Sheriff's office said it was forced to drop the charge after the neighbor failed to show up to court, the outlet reported.
Couch has evaded capture since Saturday, after he allegedly used an AR-15 to shoot at unsuspecting drivers on Interstate 75, near London, Kentucky, according to the FBI.
Twelve vehicles were shot at, resulting in the non-fatal injuries of five shooting victims, said authorities, according to the Associated Press.
Three more victims were injured as a result of car accidents.
Prior to the shooting, Couch reportedly sent a text message to a woman promising that he was "going to kill a lot of people" and "kill myself afterwards," according to the station.
Couch has since been charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault, prosecutors said, CNN reported.
A motive remains under investigation.
