Fernando Allen Giffen-Vallejo, a 19-year-old Hispanic/Latino man from Cottage Grove, Oregon, was killed in a shooting in Eugene on March 14, 2023. In the early morning hours, just before 12:30 a.m., Eugene Police patrol units responded to a report of a dispute where gunshots were fired at the intersection of East 13th Avenue and Patterson Street.
When officers arrived at the scene near the Fat Shack restaurant, they found two people who had sustained minor gunshot wounds.
Nearby, they discovered a vehicle that had crashed into an urgent care building. Inside the car was Fernando Allen Giffen-Vallejo, who was deceased.
The Eugene Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit immediately began an investigation. Three days later, on the morning of March 17, investigators arrested 20-year-old Elijah Michael Pruitt of Eugene in connection with the shooting. One report noted that Pruitt was an employee at the Fat Shack restaurant located near where the incident occurred.
Pruitt was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The case proceeded to trial, and on September 25, 2023, a jury convicted Pruitt on multiple counts: second-degree murder, second-degree assault, third-degree assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm. For these crimes, Elijah Pruitt was sentenced to life in prison plus two years. The case was officially closed with his conviction and sentencing in September 2023.
