49ers’ Pearsall Stable After Being Shot in Chest

Is anyone safe? Athletes cannot even escape the wrath of violence. San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall narrowly avoids tragedy. He was shot in the chest in an attempted robbery gone bad in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, the organization said in a statement.
Pearsall “is in serious but stable condition,” the 49ers confirmed.

A 17-year-old boy attempted to rob Pearsall at gunpoint as he was walking by himself at around 3:30 p.m. PT, when a scuffle ensued between the two, resulting in both of them sustaining injuries, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

“Gunfire from the suspect’s gun struck both Mr. Pearsall and the subject,” San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said in a Saturday news conference, adding multiple shots were fired.

The suspect, a resident of Tracy, California, was taken into police custody after attempting to “run away,” Scott said.
Charges against the suspect will be filed in juvenile court, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins stated at the news conference. A charging decision will be made by either Tuesday or Wednesday, Jenkins said.

“Given that the suspect is a juvenile at this time, those charges will be filed in the juvenile court as we continue to review the evidence to figure out where we go from there,” Jenkins said.

Officers tended to Pearsall and the suspect and transported them to a local hospital for treatment, the release said.

Police have yet to announced a possible motive for the shooting but there is no proof or indication that Pearsall was targeted because he is a professional athlete and football player, Scott said. He went on to say the department believes “this was an attempted robbery, and we’re pretty confident about that.”

The chief said it appears the suspect was acting alone. Only one gun was involved in the shooting and it has been recovered at the, Scott said.

It is unclear how many times Pearsall was shot or what the suspect was trying to steal. Police are gathering video footage as they continue to thoroughly investigate. Pearsall was alert and stable enough to speak with police, but Scott said “we still need to go back and confirm some things.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Ricky and the entire Pearsall family,” the team said Saturday night.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed at the news conference called the attempted robbery “a terrible and rare incident in Union Square.”

“I look forward to seeing him recover and get back on the field,” she said.

Scott earlier said he was “extremely shocked and saddened” by the shooting.

“This kind of violence has no place in our city and will never be tolerated. My heart goes out to Mr. Pearsall and his family and I wish him a speedy recovery,” he said in a post on social media. “Thankfully, our hard-working officers made a swift arrest in this case and we will do everything within our power to ensure justice is served.”

The rookie wide receiver was drafted by the 49ers with the 31st pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25. Before being drafted, the 23-year-old played three years with the Arizona State Sun Devils and two at Florida during his collegiate career. He finished his last collegiate season, accumulating 965 receiving yards and six touchdowns in his final season with the Gators.

Pearsall’s teammate, Deebo Samuel, took to social media following the incident. “He’s good,” he said on his social media platform. “Thank god!!!!”

Before this took place Saturday afternoon, Pearsall had been recovering from a partial dislocation of his shoulder, an injury dating back to his college days, according to the NFL. He practiced with the team one week prior to being sidelined and held out of the 49ers’ three preseason games. The rookie wide receiver returned to practice this past week.

The 49ers are set to play their first game of the season against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets next Monday night on September 9, 8:15 p.m. ET.

“We have had extra officers in Union Square for quite some time, and we will continue to do that,” Scott said Saturday night. “Usually, when things like this happen, people get anxiety, and we want to make sure that the public knows that we’re there for them. So, we will increase that deployment.”