Ricky Pearsall recounts shooting: ‘I want to live a happy life’

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – San Francisco 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall says he was unsure of his fate after being shot in the chest during an armed robbery near San Francisco’s Union Square last year.

“My adrenaline was surging. I didn’t really feel much pain. It was just a burning sensation,” Pearsall told ESPN in a sit-down interview. “I’m very religious. I’m Christian. I didn’t know if I was going to heaven or hell.

“I definitely thought about my family… not knowing if I would be able to tell my family I love them again.”

Recalling the situation on August 31, 2024, in depth for the first time, Pearsall said that when she opened the back of her car to place shopping bags inside her vehicle, she saw someone walking towards her in her peripheral vision.

Pearsall, who had hosted an autograph signing nearby earlier in the day, said he initially thought the man was a fan.

“Then, I analyzed the situation and said, ‘Okay, this guy really doesn’t look like a fan,'” Pearsall said. “He was dressed all in black, he had a hoodie on and obviously he immediately pulled out his gun.”

A physical altercation ensued before the suspect shot Pearsall once in the chest and fled the scene. The suspect, who was 17 years old at the time, was arrested by police a short time later.

“I was wearing a sleeveless shirt and it felt like the hole was very visible, there was blood coming out everywhere,” Pearsall said.

Pearsall, 25, said he didn’t see anyone nearby to help him until San Francisco Police Sergeant Joel Harrell, who was patrolling the area on foot, first arrived at the scene.

Pearsall said, “When I saw Joel I felt relieved, of course, when he healed me.” “We just took a moment to breathe and pray and hear her voice tell me I was going to be okay, and to just stay strong.”

A bystander captured video of Pearsall standing up and walking slowly toward the stretcher. Pearsall laughs now about the scene depicted.

“I may have looked calm, but I was actually nervous,” he said. “In my mind, it was like, ‘Let’s move forward.’ Like, ‘Let’s go to the stretcher, let’s go to the hospital.’

Medics transported Pearsall to San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, where he was listed in critical but stable condition. The bullet entered Pearsall’s chest and exited his back.

Fifty days after the shooting, Pearsall made his 49ers debut in Week 7 last season, and caught three passes for 21 yards. Pearsall finished his rookie season with 31 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdowns.

The journey back to football was challenging physically and mentally.

“In the beginning, honestly, like the physical part, it was hard,” Pearsall said. “My arm was basically non-existent. Like, it felt like really dead and scarred tissue – I was in a lot of pain initially.

“But I wasn’t worried about it. Like, the pain wasn’t really relevant to me. It was more of a mental battle, like, PTSD is a real thing. I’ve had some incidents where I’ve been scared because of things replaying in my mind for no reason or maybe, like, certain sounds or certain, like, people’s activities that, like, would initially freak me out.”

Pearsall has appeared in six games this season, making 23 receptions for 333 yards. The 2024 first-round draft selection missed six games due to a knee injury before returning two weeks ago for San Francisco’s win against the Arizona Cardinals.

Pearsall said this is a continuing effort to move forward to heal his post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I want to live a happy life,” Pearsall said. “The reality is that I’m here. I’m alive. There are a lot of good people around me. I shouldn’t be nervous about certain things, shouldn’t be stopping myself from having moments where I’m back on my feet and enjoying my life.”