A police officer shot a man early Monday near downtown after responding to a business alarm, according to the Ashland Police Department.

Police said officers encountered the man leaving an area with several shattered storefront windows in the 200 block of A Street. The man allegedly approached officers with a knife before one officer shot him.

The man was taken to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. Neither he nor the officer has been publicly identified.

Broken storefront windows and caution tape remained at the scene Monday morning. Damaged businesses included Masala Bistro & Bar and A Street Print and Parcel.

Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara told Ashland.news the man was white and in his 30s.

Jackson County District Attorney Patrick Green said his office will present the investigation’s findings to a grand jury, which he described as standard practice after police shootings. More information is expected later this week.

A memorial nearby marks the spot where Ashland resident Matthew Vandersande was shot and killed in his parked vehicle in September 2025. That murder investigation is ongoing.

Justin Higginbottom is a reporter with Jefferson Public Radio.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/26/ashland-officer-shoots-man-after-police-respond-to-business-alarm/