SAN FRANCISCO —
Ricky Pearsall, the San Francisco 49ers’ rookie wide receiver and first-round draft pick, was released from the hospital Sunday a day after being shot during an attempted robbery in the city’s Union Square.
Pearsall’s mother said Sunday in a social media post that the bullet that struck her son in the chest exited out his back and missed his vital organs. She added that he was “extremely lucky.”
After the attack, Pearsall, 23, was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where authorities said he was stable and being treated for his injuries. A suspect, whom police described as a 17-year-old male from Tracy, a city about 70 miles east of San Francisco, was quickly apprehended near the scene and taken into custody. The suspect is also stable and being treated at San Francisco General, authorities said.
“San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was the victim of an attempted robbery and shooting this afternoon,” team officials posted on social media Saturday evening. “He sustained a bullet wound to his chest and is in serious but stable condition. We ask that you please respect his privacy at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ricky and the entire Pearsall family.”
San Francisco police issued a statement saying officers responded to a shooting at approximately 3:37 p.m. near Geary Street and Grant Avenue in the Union Square district known for its boutique shopping and high-end hotels and restaurants.
“Upon arrival, officers located two male subjects suffering from injuries. Officers rendered aid and medics transported both subjects to a local hospital for further medical evaluation,” the statement said. “The suspect is in custody, and charges are pending at this time.”
Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents the Union Square district, said police told him that the assailant tried to rob Pearsall of his Rolex watch, and that “Ricky wasn’t having any of it.”
At an evening news conference, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said Pearsall was walking alone when an assailant confronted him and attempted an armed robbery. A struggle ensued, and the attacker’s gun fired multiple times, Scott said, and both Pearsall and the assailant were shot.
The teenage suspect tried to flee, Scott said, but officers quickly arrested him.
Scott said the investigation is ongoing but that the suspect appears to have acted alone. He did not identify the suspect, nor would he confirm that Pearsall’s Rolex was the target of the attempted robbery.
Dist. Atty. Brooke Jenkins said her office expects to make a charging decision by the middle of next week. Because the suspect is a juvenile, she said, the case, at least initially, will be filed in juvenile court.
The shooting is expected to fuel a narrative that conservative pundits and politicians have hammered in recent years, painting San Francisco as a city overrun with crime and homelessness that they blame on the failure of Democratic leadership.
Some San Francisco neighborhoods have struggled in recent years with sprawling homeless encampments accompanied by trash and open drug use. And downtown vacancy rates spawned by the pandemic remain stubbornly high.
But city officials also note that violent crime rates have fallen over the last decade and remain low compared with many major cities. The city’s police dashboard shows crime down year over year across all major categories.
Mayor London Breed, who is in the midst of a tough reelection bid, has launched high-profile initiatives against retail theft and homeless encampments over the last year.
In July, she announced a campaign to more aggressively clear out tent encampments. In recent weeks, outreach workers, backed by law enforcement, have spread out across the city, ordering people to dismantle their tents and issuing citations if they refuse to accept offers of shelter.
At the evening news conference, Breed said the shooting was a “setback” for the city and efforts to crack down on crime. Still, she said, the quick response from police and other first responders should send a message.
“This is how we hold people accountable in San Francisco,” Breed said. “Robberies and any violence like this will not be tolerated in our city.”
Peskin, who is challenging Breed in the November mayoral race, called Saturday’s shooting “terrifying,” but also stressed it was “very, very rare.”
“Gun violence in San Francisco is at an all-time low,” Peskin said. “And police presence in and around Union Square is at an all-time high.”
Pearsall, who played for Arizona State and the University of Florida in college, was drafted by the 49ers in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. He was sidelined with a shoulder injury during much of the NFL preseason.
“He’s good,” 49ers teammate Deebo Samuel wrote on social media after the shooting. “Thank god!!!!”
The 49ers are scheduled to open their season against the New York Jets on Sept. 9.
