Jackson County Man Gets 5 Years After Shooting at Drivers on I-5 Near Ashland
JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — A shooting incident near milepost 15 on Interstate-5, near Ashland, ended in a five-year federal prison sentence for 29-year-old Devanta Bell Mader, of Jackson County, this week.
The shooting took place shortly after 5 a.m. on July 19, 2025, when Mader began shooting at passing motorists after crashing his vehicle.
According to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, Mader pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree criminal mischief with a firearm, one count of first-degree DUI, and four counts of the unlawful use of a weapon.
Gunshots Damaged the Vehicles of Two Passing Motorists
Court documents reveal that two motorists reported damage to their vehicles in the shooting incident.
After Mader’s arrest in a nearby field to which he fled when officers arrived on the scene, Oregon State Police found ammunition, cocaine, and alcohol containers, mostly empty, inside his vehicle. They also collected four spent shotgun shells on the ground next to Mader’s vehicle.
According to court documents, Mader admitted using a large amount of cocaine before the shooting took place. State prosecutors stated that Mader showed signs of intoxication and was agitated.
No one was injured in the incident.
The prosecutor in the case was prosecuted by Jackson County District Attorney Patrick Green.