Ricky Pearsall’s mother said in a Facebook post that the bullet that struck her son in the chest Saturday afternoon during an attempted robbery in San Francisco’s Union Square missed his vital organs.
Pearsall, the 49ers’ first pick in the spring NFL draft, was taken to San Francisco General in serious but stable condition, the team confirmed Saturday night.
“He is extremely lucky, GOD protected him,” Erin Pearsall wrote in a post she has since deleted. “He was shot in the chest and it came out of the back. Thank GOD it missed his vital organs.”
San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said Saturday night that both Pearsall, 23, and the 17-year-old male suspect who tried to rob him were struck by bullets from the same gun carried by the teenager from Tracy. Scott noted that several shots were fired during a struggle between the suspect and Pearsall, but declined to provide much more information, citing the ongoing investigation.
Pearsall was seen on video from KTVU’s Zak Sos walk under your own power and protect an obvious wound on the right side of the chest.
Erin Pearsall said Ricky is in good spirits, but asked for prayers for him.
The shooting happened just after 3:30 p.m. on Geary Street near Grant Street, Scott said Saturday night at a news conference outside the hospital where both Pearsall and the suspect were being treated. The police chief said officers stopped the suspect as he fled the scene.
Pearsall grew up in Chandler, Arizona and played football at Arizona State for three years before transferring to Florida, where he played the last two seasons. The 49ers selected him 31st overall in April’s draft.