A 17-year-old high school senior charged with attempted murder in the shooting of San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall faced juvenile court Wednesday, expressing remorse through his attorney.
The slight teen, dressed in a green sweatshirt and pants, looked directly at the judge throughout the proceeding, not acknowledging his parents who were present.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins brought charges against the teen on Tuesday, including attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic weapon, and attempted second-degree robbery. On Wednesday, her office added multiple gun-related charges.
Jenkins’s office has yet to decide whether to try the juvenile as an adult, needing additional time to investigate and potentially petitioning the court. California law mandates that minors cannot be charged as adults without judicial approval.
“Genuinely, he is very sorry for what transpired, as is his family,” said Deputy Public Defender Bob Dunlap after the hearing. “On behalf of the family and myself, our thoughts go out to the Pearsall family and Mr. Pearsall himself. He is just a young boy.”
A probation officer suggested that the teen remain in custody and be transferred to his home county of San Joaquin due to another pending matter. However, Superior Court Judge Roger C. Chan ruled that the teen would stay in San Francisco custody. Both families were present in the courtroom.
The weekend’s daylight shooting of a professional athlete in the upscale Union Square shopping district drew national attention to a city grappling with issues such as brazen shoplifting, vacant storefronts, and assaults on Asian American seniors. Mayor London Breed, facing a close reelection race in November, has yet another challenge on her hands.
Ricky Pearsall, 23, was walking to his car after shopping at luxury stores around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday when the suspect allegedly noticed his Rolex watch. A struggle ensued, and gunfire erupted, injuring both Pearsall and the teen, who was shot in the arm.
Pearsall was hit in the chest at close range, but the bullet miraculously missed vital organs, according to his mother Erin Pearsall’s social media post. He was discharged from San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center on Sunday.
By Monday, Pearsall was back at the 49ers’ team facility. General Manager John Lynch announced Tuesday that Pearsall had been placed on the non-football injury list, allowing him time to recover from both the shooting and a shoulder injury that had plagued him all summer.
The teen, a resident of Tracy, about 60 miles east of San Francisco, was arrested roughly a block away from the alleged confrontation site.
