In a shocking turn of events, a 17-year-old suspect has been charged with attempted murder and two other felonies in connection to the shooting of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, officials revealed on Tuesday. The suspect will face arraignment on Wednesday afternoon, with prosecutors seeking to keep him in custody due to the public safety risk, as stated by San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
The incident unfolded when Pearsall, 23, was heading to his car and caught the attention of the suspect with his “expensive watch,” according to San Francisco Police Sgt. Frank Harrell. A struggle ensued, leading to the suspect’s gun discharging and striking Pearsall in the chest, while also injuring the suspect’s arm. The quick actions of the authorities led to the teen’s arrest just a block away from the crime scene in Tracy, California.
Following the traumatic event, Pearsall was rushed to the hospital and later discharged on Sunday. The 49ers promptly moved the young wide receiver from Florida to the non-football injury list on Monday to allow him to recuperate from the gunshot wound as well as a nagging shoulder injury that had impacted his performance in training camp, shared team GM John Lynch on Tuesday.
In a testament to Pearsall’s resilience, Lynch marvelled, “It was nothing short of miraculous that he wasn’t hurt worse.” The GM expressed relief at the player’s current state, noting, “He’s doing so much better today than he was yesterday. Just really, really miraculous.” The football community is undoubtedly relieved by Pearsall’s improving condition and eagerly awaits his return to the gridiron.
