Suspect in shooting of 49ers WR Ricky Pearsall 'very sorry'

A 17-year-old charged in the shooting of 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in a San Francisco juvenile court.

According to police, Pearsall was shot in the chest Saturday in San Francisco's Union Square as part of an alleged robbery attempt. Pearsall fought back, and the suspect also was wounded.

Superior Court Judge Roger C. Chan ruled that the suspect, who is from Tracy, Calif., would remain in custody in San Francisco as the case proceeds.

The suspect's representative, Deputy Public Defender Bob Dunlap, said of his client, "He's very sorry, genuinely, that this did happen, as is his family. I can say on their behalf as well as on my own behalf that our thoughts go out to the Pearsall family and Mr. Pearsall himself."

The suspect is charged with multiple felonies, including attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and attempted second-degree robbery.

District attorney Brooke Jenkins said prosecutors are deciding whether to ask that the suspect be tried as an adult, something Dunlap opposes.

"I'm certainly hoping that they don't do that," Dunlap said. "I think my client certainly should be treated as a juvenile. He is a juvenile. It's very rare for a transfer to occur. This is an obviously serious case, a shooting. But in the normal course of events, this would not warrant a transfer and I hope it doesn't in this case."

Pearsall, the 49ers' first-round draft pick in April, was released from the hospital on Sunday and did not sustain any nerve or organ damage, general manager John Lynch said.

The suspect sustained a gunshot wound in the incident, though the bullet that hit his left arm did no significant damage, according to Dunlap.

At the time of the shooting, Pearsall was shopping for luggage following an autograph session.

Lynch said Tuesday that Pearsall, who turns 24 next week, is back in the building with the 49ers and doing well. He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list Monday and will miss at least the first four games of the season. But that wasn't Lynch's biggest concern.

"Nothing short of miraculous that he came out of this as good as he did," Lynch said.

Pearsall wants to rejoin his teammates on the field.

"I think some of his earliest concerns was when he could play," Lynch said.

"First and foremost," he continued, "we're gonna make sure that he's all good and, and ready to go."

--Field Level Media