A 17-year-old boy has been charged in the shooting of San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced on Tuesday, September 3, that the unnamed minor is facing an attempted murder charge after allegedly shooting Pearsall, 23, in the chest during an attempted robbery in San Francisco’s Union Square section over the weekend. The suspect also faces a second-degree robbery charge and a charge for assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The shooting occurred around 3:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, August 31. The suspect approached Pearsall and attempted to rob him at gunpoint when Pearsall fought back, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Police arrested the suspect as he was fleeing the scene.
“The struggle between Mr. Pearsall and the suspect ensued, and gunfire from the suspect’s gun struck both Mr. Pearsall and the subject,” San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said.
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Scott added there’s “no indication” that the suspect targeted Pearsall because of his status as an NFL player and that there was only one gun involved with multiple shots fired. Initial indications are that the suspect acted alone, but the investigation is ongoing as police continue to check surveillance cameras from around the area.
Sergeant Joelle Harrell was the first to respond to the incident and is credited with potentially saving Pearsall’s life.
Ricky Pearsall Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images
49ers general manager John Lynch spoke to the media on Monday, September 2, and took time to recognize Harrell for her actions.
“I met Joelle. I met her husband, Frank, who happened to be in charge of everything at the hospital at San Francisco General,” Lynch said. “But his wife was the first on the scene. And I think we’ve all seen the measures she went to to make Ricky comfortable, and she was there for him in a real rough time. And I know how appreciative Ricky is of that. We’re appreciative to the entire police department. They just were tremendous.”
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Lynch also provided an update on Pearsall, who was released from the hospital less than 24 hours after the shooting.
“He’s doing remarkably well,” Lynch said. “That’s kind of uncharted territory. It’s not every day you deal with something like this.”
Pearsall had a chance to talk with his teammates Saturday night via FaceTime while the team attended a Training Camp party. 49ers players then visited with him on Monday and Tuesday, according to ABC7.
“As soon as I saw him, I smiled, man,” guard Dominick Puni told the station.