San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery in San Francisco on Saturday, authorities and his team said.
In a statement, the 49ers said Pearsall “sustained a bullet wound to his chest and is in serious but stable condition.” Police said in an evening news conference that Pearsall was talking after being struck.
Mayor London Breed said on social media platform X that the attack took place in the Union Square community in the center of downtown. Police identified the suspect only as a 17-year-old boy.
“SFPD was on scene immediately and an arrest of the shooter was made,” the mayor said, referring to the San Francisco Police Department.
Pearsall’s agent and representatives for the NFL did not immediately respond to requests for information Saturday night.
In a statement, San Francisco police said officers responded to a report of a shooting at Geary Street and Grant Avenue in the heart of the Union Square community about 3:37 p.m. and found two people who had been injured after an altercation.
Police Chief Bill Scott said at the news conference that the suspect approached Pearsall — a 23-year-old rookie drafted by the 49ers in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft — and tried to commit an armed robbery. “A struggle ensues and gunfire from the suspect’s gun struck Mr. Pearsall and the suspect,” Scott said.
At least two rounds were fired, he said.
Scott said the suspect is a 17-year-old boy from the farming town of Tracy, a little more than 60 miles east of San Francisco.
Both Pearsall and the teen were hospitalized, the chief said. San Francisco County Supervisor Aaron Peskin said earlier on X that Pearsall had been stabilized at a hospital.
The suspect was found by responding officers already in the area as he fled, and the gun he allegedly used was recovered, Scott said.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said the teen would be charged in juvenile court.
“This was a terrible and rare incident in Union Square, and our thoughts are with Ricky Pearsall and his family,” Breed said during the news conference. “He has a bright future and I look forward to seeing him recover and get back on the field.”
Likewise, the 49ers said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with Ricky and the entire Pearsall family.”
The high-profile attack came as crime and homelessness in San Francisco have become paramount topics in local politics.
Peskin, the San Francisco County supervisor, is challenging Breed for the mayorship of the city. He has supported tough-on-crime stances, including arresting drug dealers, while also pushing for treatment of users and seeing crime as a society-wide issue rather than as a problem only police can solve.
Breed said violence like Saturday’s “will not be tolerated.” Scott said extra police have been assigned to Union Square for some time.
Pearsall has not played this preseason as a result of hamstring and shoulder injuries.
Cristian Santana and Linda Takahashi contributed.