Ricky Pearsall of the San Francisco 49ers.Photo:Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty
Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty
The police sergeant who aided San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall after he wasshot in an attempted robberyis speaking out.
Sgt. Joelle Harrell — who had been on duty in San Francisco’s Union Square, where the shooting occurred on Saturday, Aug. 31, at around 3:37 p.m. — toldGood Morning Americathat she had tried to keep the football player calm after he was shot in the chest.
“I said, ‘I want you to listen to me. I know you don’t know me, but please trust me. God is with us. It’s not your time,’ ” Harrell recalled telling Pearsall, 23, toGMA.
“He [asked], ‘Am I going to die?’ And I told him, ‘Remember you’re going to be okay. You’re strong right?,’ ” she recalled. “[Because] I had told him out there, ‘Be strong like you are on the field.’ ”
Police toldGMAthat the alleged suspect had been a 17-year-old who “confronted” Pearsall with a gun, and that they believed he had targeted the NFL rookie because he was “wearing a luxury watch.” The sports star had been videoed signing autographs and police told the outlet he headed downtown “while carrying shopping bags” prior to the incident.
Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall answers questions from the media during the NFL Scouting Combine on March 1, 2024, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN.Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty
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San Francisco Police Department Chief William Scott toldGMAthat if police had gotten there later, the suspect may have gotten away with the crime.
“Response time matters and the fact that [officers] were there within a minute — if it had been a seven or eight minute response time, that person likely would’ve got away,” he said. “And as tragic as this incident is, I really hope that it doesn’t overshadow the tremendous amount of progress that we’ve made this year reducing crime.”
Ricky Pearsall at the San Francisco 49ers training camp in July 2024.Thearon W. Henderson/Getty
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty
In response to the incident, the 49ers said ina statementon X (formerly Twitter) that Pearsall “sustained a bullet wound to the chest and is in serious but stable condition.”
“We ask that you please respect his privacy at this time,” the team added. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Ricky and the entire Pearsall family.”
Pearsall is currently recovering from his injuries at home and has been placed on the non-football injury list in the meantime,GMAreported. The 49ers will kick off their season on Monday, Sept. 9, at Levi’s Stadium when they face off against the New York Jets.
As for the suspect in the incident, the district attorney’s office told the outlet that he will be prosecuted in juvenile court, possibly as early as Sept. 3.
source: people.com