Jury reaches verdict, man sentenced in 2023 Eugene 7-Eleven shooting death case

A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the Sept. 2023 shooting death of Stephen Forrest, 32, at a 7-Eleven in Eugene.

A Lane County jury found Jaisi Savath guilty on Thursday of second-degree murder with a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon. Before the trial, Savath pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm.

On Friday, Lane County Circuit Court Judge Conover sentenced Savath to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Savath will also serve a concurrent five-year sentence for unlawful use of a weapon.

The crime took place on Sept. 2, of last year, when officers from the Eugene Police Department responded to reports of a shooting around 2:30 a.m. and found Forrest, a 7-Eleven worker, inside the shop with life-threatening injuries.

Forrest was rushed to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield where he later died from his injuries.

According to a probable cause statement, Forrest was shot through the front window of the 7-Eleven.

On Sept. 6, Savath surrendered himself to police and was taken into custody. He was later arraigned Sept. 7 on one count of murder in the second degree for Forrest's death.

While in custody at Lane County Jail, Savath was arraigned again on Feb. 15 on a secret indictment of murder in the second degree with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Jury trial

State Prosecutor Erik Hasselman and Defense Attorney John Kolego began their opening statements early Tuesday morning in front of a twelve-person jury and Lane County Circuit Court Judge Curtis Conover.

Several witnesses and investigators testified during the trial, including a former 7-Eleven worker who was present at the scene on the night of the shooting, a forensic analyst with the Eugene police, a former police officer who was among the first to arrive at the scene, a state hospital medical examiner and others.

Surveillance footage of the shooting shown during the trial depicts Forrest and his co-worker behind the counter assisting several customers early in the morning on Sept. 2.

Just after 2:30 a.m., Savath can be seen approaching the counter with a bottle of water in his hands and Forrest can be seen retrieving a pack of cigars from the shelves behind the counter at his request, according to a probable cause statement summarizing the in-store footage.

Moments later, Forrest can be seen taking the bottle of water and cigars back to his side of the counter as it appears Savath's payment was not processed.

Savath then appears to become upset and flips the card reader over the counter in front of the cash register. As Savath proceeds to walk out the front door of the store, Forrest can be seen spraying him with what appears to be a pepper spray, which was later determined to be a pepper gel.

Once outside the door, Savath can be seen turning to face the front of the 7-Eleven as five shots were fired rapidly through the window.

Savath can then be seen entering the passenger side door of a silver Infiniti sedan where he fired another two shots into the building. He is then seen exiting the sedan to retrieve a hat he dropped in front of the 7-Eleven, and then returning to the car as it proceeded to flee the scene, according to the probable cause statement.

Savath testified on Wednesday

Savath said he had consumed about two to three Twisted Teas while at some parties the night of the shooting and had his girlfriend drive his vehicle, the silver Infiniti sedan, while he was intoxicated.

While Savath and his girlfriend were out with friends, they decided to stop at the 7-Eleven.

He said he carried around a gun for self-defense and protection but added he had no prior experience shooting the semi-automatic handgun prior to the incident. He was trained on gun safety by watching YouTube videos, according to his testimony.

Savath said that when he approached the counter to pay for the water and cigars, he attempted to use a digital card on his cell phone as a form of payment. His payment would not process and he was allegedly told by Forrest that the store did not accept Apple Pay.

According to Savath, he tried to explain to Forrest multiple times the difference between Apple Pay and the use of a digital credit card. Forrest continued to emphasize that they did not accept Apple Pay and proceeded to take the bottle of water and cigars back to his side of the counter.

Once this happened, Savath proceeded to knock the card reader off its stand and Forrest told him to leave the store.

"I got animated," said Savath. "I felt disrespected and frustrated."

As Savath proceeded to leave the store, he said he glanced toward the counter where he saw Forrest holding a "gun-shaped object" at his face. This object was later determined to be the pepper gel.

Forrest discharged the pepper gel and Savath says he thought he had been shot in the neck due to the alleged burning sensation and ringing in his ears caused by the gel. Because of this, Savath said his first instinct was to draw his firearm and get to safety.

"I didn't care what happened around me, I just wanted to leave," said Savath during his testimony.

Savath then said he shot wildly into the 7-Eleven and was not trying to neutralize a threat but instead wanted people to "disperse." He discovered within minutes of fleeing the scene that he had not been shot but instead, had been pepper sprayed. He argued he had been justified in using deadly force because he believed he was shot in the neck. If he'd known that the substance was a pepper gel, he would not have drawn his gun and shot into the 7-Eleven.

"I was in a panicked mode and believed I was shot in the neck," Savath said.

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Jury reaches verdict in 2023 Eugene 7-Eleven shooting death case