Teenager charged with attempted murder of 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall

The 17-year-old suspect in the shooting death of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall over the weekend will face attempted murder charges, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced Tuesday afternoon.

The teenager, who was charged in juvenile court, also faces charges of attempted second-degree robbery and assault with a semi-automatic firearm, Jenkins said.

The arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, she added.

Pearsall will miss at least the first four games of the NFL season after being shot in the chest during an attempted robbery.

The 49ers placed Pearsall, 23, on the reserve/non-football injured list on Monday, a week before the team’s first regular-season game against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.

The shooting occurred around 3:30 p.m. PT on Saturday in San Francisco’s Union Square when a 17-year-old boy attempted to rob Pearsall at gunpoint, which led to a physical altercation, according to San Francisco police. Pearsall and the suspect were struck by gunfire from the suspect’s gun, Police Chief William Scott said.

Officers rendered aid to Pearsall and the suspect and took them to a hospital for treatment, police said. The 49ers initially said Pearsall was in “serious but stable condition” and he was released from the hospital on Sunday.

The juvenile suspect is from Tracy, California and could not be identified due to his age.

San Francisco Police Sergeant Joelle Harrell told ABC she helped treat Pearsall’s wound and spoke with him shortly after the shooting.

“He said, ‘Am I going to die?’ and I told him, ‘Remember, it’s going to be OK. You’re strong, aren’t you?’ Because I told him, ‘Be strong, like you are out there on the field,'” she said.

The broad daylight shooting in a busy San Francisco commercial center has drawn renewed attention to concerns about crime and violence in the city. Mayor London Breed said the shooting was “a horrific and rare incident in Union Square,” the busy public square where the city has increased police presence in recent years.

“This incident sets back all the hard work we have put into improving public safety in San Francisco,” she said.

Police have not yet released a possible motive for the shooting, but there is no indication that Pearsall was targeted because he is a football player, Scott said Saturday.

The police chief said it appears the suspect acted alone. Only one weapon was involved in the shooting, which has been recovered, Scott said.

Pearsall’s mother Erin wrote on Facebook that the bullet entered her son’s chest and exited his back without damaging any vital organs.

On Tuesday, Jenkins expressed her condolences and prayers to Pearsall, his family and teammates, adding that they were “significantly traumatized” by the incident.

“I also know that the people of San Francisco are traumatized. Now it is my job and that of my office to ensure that we are held accountable in this case and that we ensure that there is a level of public safety in San Francisco that will help prevent incidents like this from happening again in the future.”

Pearsall was selected by San Francisco earlier this year with the 31st overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Before his selection, Pearsall played three years for Arizona State and two years for Florida during his college career. In his final NCAA season with the Gators, he amassed 965 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

With the shooting, Pearsall joins an unenviable group of active NFL players who have been victims of gun violence in recent years.

In April, Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell suffered minor injuries in a mass shooting in Sanford, Florida.

Two years ago, Brian Robinson Jr., then a rookie running back for the Washington Commanders, was shot twice during an attempted armed robbery just weeks before the start of the season. He missed four games before returning to the field.

Notably, the NFL franchise – then controlled by controversial owner Dan Snyder – used the shooting to criticize “out-of-control violent crime in DC” and attack DC Attorney General Karl Racine, who was investigating the team’s labor culture.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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