San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was released from the hospital on Sunday after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest. The first-round draft pick from Florida was shot during an alleged robbery attempt in San Francisco’s Union Square on Saturday.
Pearsall’s mother posted An update on social media who said her son was shot in the chest, but the bullet did not hit any vital organs.
However, the blood loss could have been a fatal factor for Pearsall if not for the intervention of a San Francisco police sergeant who quickly found the recipient at the scene. He was bleeding profusely from his wound, as Sergeant Joelle Harrell described to St. John Barned-Smith of the San Francisco Chronicle.
By this time, she had already grabbed Pearsall’s shirt, pressing it against his chest to create pressure on the wound. She pressed her baseball cap against the exit wound on his back.
“I was using my hand in front just to create suction so that air wouldn’t get into the wound,” he said.
He said he could feel himself tensing up, anxiety and fear creeping in as he realized the severity of his injuries. He said he was a football player for the 49ers.
Harrell was just trying to keep pressure on her wounds and slow the bleeding. Stay calm, he told her.
Harrel said Pearsall told her he was a football player and asked if he was going to die. She assured him that wouldn’t happen and began to calm him down.
“Be strong, like you’re on the field,” Harrell told Pearsall. Her husband told the Chronicle.
Ambulances soon arrived, as did more officers who informed Harrell that the suspect had been detained on the street.
Shortly afterward, a KTVU news camera filmed Pearsall walking toward an ambulance. Harrell can be seen accompanying him, continuing to keep pressure on the wound.
San Francisco police are still investigating the incident. However, the suspect, 17, He was arrested forks It is believed that he acted alonealthough the surveillance cameras in the area are still being reviewed.
Pearsall, who will soon turn 24, was the 49ers’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, 31st overall. In five college seasons (three at Arizona State, two at Florida), he had 159 receptions for 2,420 yards and 14 touchdowns.
During training camp, Pearsall had been dealing with hamstring and shoulder injuries. Now, it is unknown when he might be able to play football again after suffering this gunshot wound.