A 17-Year-Old Charged in Shooting of 49ers’ Ricky Pearsall
Authorities announced on Tuesday that a 17-year-old suspect involved in the shooting of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is facing serious charges, including attempted murder and two other felonies.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins stated that the suspect is set to be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon, and due to concerns for public safety, prosecutors will request that he be kept in custody.
The teen faces additional charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and attempted second-degree robbery linked to the shooting that occurred Saturday afternoon in the Union Square area of the city.
According to police, Pearsall, who is 23 years old, was walking to his vehicle when the suspect, noticing his “valuable watch,” approached him, as reported by San Francisco Police Sergeant Frank Harrell to the San Francisco Chronicle.
During their altercation, the suspect’s gun discharged, hitting Pearsall in the chest and also injuring the suspect’s arm.
The teenager, hailing from Tracy, California, located around 60 miles east of San Francisco, was apprehended just a block away from the shooting scene, according to police reports.
Pearsall was hospitalized but was discharged on Sunday. The 49ers placed him on the non-football injury list the following day, which will give him time to heal from the gunshot wound and a shoulder injury he sustained during training camp, as stated by team general manager John Lynch.
Lynch remarked that it was “nothing short of miraculous” that Pearsall didn’t suffer more serious injuries.
He commended police Sergeant Joelle Harrell for her quick response, noting that she helped keep Pearsall calm, using her shirt to apply pressure to the chest wound and her baseball cap to stop the bleeding from the exit wound.
“He’s feeling much better today than he did yesterday,” Lynch said, calling the situation “truly miraculous.”
The general manager expressed confidence that Pearsall, the team’s 31st overall draft pick this year, will still be able to contribute during the upcoming season.