Police and paramedics found Ashland resident Matthew Vandersande dead from gunshot wounds early Sunday morning on a street near the city’s downtown. Authorities said in a statement that Vandersande was inside his parked car when a suspect fired multiple rounds into the vehicle.
Ashland police said the shooting appears targeted, with no indication of a specific public threat at this time.
Security camera footage from a nearby business shows the suspect, wearing dark clothing, fleeing the scene along A Street toward North Pioneer Street.
Ashland detectives activated the Jackson County Major Assault/Death Investigation Unit, which brings in resources from the Medford Police Department, the Oregon State Police, the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.
Ashland police are asking anyone with information or surveillance camera footage from between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM on Sep. 7 to contact Detective Sergeant Rick Spence at 541-552-2172 or the Ashland Police Department tip line at 541-552-2333.
In 2021, police found a Portland woman stabbed to death near Bear Creek in Ashland. Authorities charged Auriel Scattergood with murder for that crime. In 2020, Robert Keegan killed Aidan Ellison. A court found Keegan guilty of manslaughter.
