The 17-year-old accused of shooting San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall during a botched armed robbery attempt last weekend was arraigned in juvenile court Wednesday, a day after he was charged with multiple felony counts, including attempted murder.
Judge Roger C. Chan read the charges against the teenager, who, because he is a minor, was referred to only by his initials. The accusations include personal use and intentional discharge of a firearm, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and attempted second-degree robbery.
The young man, who police say lives in Tracy, about 70 miles east of San Francisco, sat facing forward during the brief proceeding, next to his court-appointed public defender, Bob Dunlap. His parents sat in the front row of benches reserved for the public, just a few feet from their son. His mother needed a Spanish-speaking translator.
Deputy District Attorney David Mitchell said members of Pearsall's family also attended the hearing, though he did not specify which relatives or whether they joined online or attended in person.
Neither the suspect nor his family made any public statements. Answering questions from the media after the hearing, Dunlap said the teen, whom he described as a high school senior, and his parents were “very sorry” about the shooting.
“This is very, very hard on them,” Dunlap said. “I’ve been assured, and from what little I know, this is completely out of character for him.”
Pearsall, 23, was returning alone to his car after shopping at one of the high-end stores in San Francisco's Union Square district on Saturday afternoon when police say a gunman confronted Pearsall and attempted to rob him, pointing at his Rolex watch. A struggle ensued and the gunman's gun was fired several times, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said during a news conference Saturday afternoon. Both Pearsall and the gunman were shot.
One bullet struck Pearsall in the chest and exited through his back, missing any vital organs, according to a social media post by his mother. He was treated at San Francisco General Hospital and released Sunday.
The suspect was shot in the left arm and was treated at the same hospital, according to police. Dunlap said his client is bandaged up but is recovering well.
Dunlap said it was too early to answer questions about why the teen was in San Francisco or his motives. Dunlap said he has read a police report about the incident but has not yet been able to review video of the shooting that investigators are collecting from area surveillance cameras, which he believes would shed more light on what happened.
He added that there were “mitigating circumstances” that he believed could influence the case, but did not elaborate. He also said he was not convinced the attempted murder charge “would hold up at the end of the day.”
A probation officer revealed during the hearing that the suspect has a pending case in San Joaquin County juvenile court. Officials did not provide details about that case, though Dunlap said his client would likely be transferred back to San Joaquin County after proceedings in San Francisco conclude.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has not yet said whether she will seek to try the teen in adult court. That would require a decision by a judge that “basically means the juvenile system would not be equipped to rehabilitate that juvenile,” Jenkins said.
Dunlap said it would be inappropriate for the case to be transferred out of juvenile court.
“I think my client should be treated as a juvenile. He is a juvenile,” Dunlap said.
Pearsall, who played for Arizona State and the University of Florida, was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. He was sidelined with a shoulder injury for much of the NFL preseason.
The 49ers have placed Pearsall on the non-football injury list, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the regular season. Team officials have said they expect him to make a full recovery.
