San Francisco 49ers player Ricky Pearsall shot in chest during attempted robbery, 17-year-old suspect in custody, police say

By Sara Smart, Homero De la Fuente and Dalia Faheid, CNN

(CNN) — San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest in an attempted robbery in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, the NFL team 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 alone at around 3:30 p.m. PT, when an altercation broke out between the two, resulting in both of them suffering 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 said at the news conference. A charging decision will be made by 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 rendered aid to Pearsall and the suspect and transported them to a hospital for treatment, the release said.

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

Scott said 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, Scott said.

It’s unclear how many times Pearsall was shot or what the suspect was attempting to steal. Police are pulling video footage as they continue to investigate. Pearsall was stable enough to talk to 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 X. “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 earlier this year. Before being drafted, the 23-year-old played three years at Arizona State and two at Florida during his collegiate career. He finished his last collegiate season, amassing 965 receiving yards and six touchdowns in his final season with Florida.

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

Pearsall had been recovering from a partial dislocation of his shoulder – an injury stemming from his time in college, according to the NFL. He practiced with the team one week before 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 the New York Jets on September 9.

“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.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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