San Francisco 49er released from hospital after shooting, attempted robbery in Union Square

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco 49er Ricky Pearsall, 23, was shot and wounded in an attempted robbery in Union Square on Saturday afternoon in the middle of the afternoon in a highly populated area, the San Francisco Police Department said. 

The suspect, a 17-year-old from Tracy, was arrested and was also injured in the 3:30 p.m. shooting, which garnered national headlines. Police said that the suspect did not target Pearsall because he was a football player. 

The teen's name won't be released as he will be charged as a juvenile. 

Video from the scene shows Pearsall walking while assisted by police, with a wound in the center of his chest. 

Pearsall's mother, Erin Pearsall, shared an update on his status late Saturday night via Facebook, confirming her son was shot in the chest. 

"I want to thank GOD for protecting my baby boy. He is extremely lucky, GOD shielded him. He was shot in the chest and it exited out his back. Thanks be to GOD it missed his vital organs. He is in good spirits right now. Life is so precious, my friends. Please love each other. My son was spared today by the grace of GOD. Please pray for my baby," his mother wrote.  

The 49ers released an updated statement, saying that Pearsall was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon. 

"He and his family, along with the entire San Francisco 49ers organization, would like to thank the San Francisco Police Department, emergency medical services, doctors and staff at San Francisco General Hospital," the team wrote. 

The shooting was first reported as a traumatic injury by the San Francisco Fire Department near Geary and Grant streets.

Police say officers arrived at the scene and found two men suffering from injuries. Both men were taken to a local hospital for an evaluation. 

The police investigation determined that the teen attempted to rob Pearsall when a fight ensued. 

"This will not be tolerated in our city," Mayor London Breed said at a weekend news conference at San Francisco General Hospital. 

SFPD Chief Bill Scott said the department has not yet confirmed what the suspect was trying to steal from Pearsall when the robbery occurred. 

The chief says only one firearm was used in the robbery. Police believe the gun belongs to the suspect, and it has been recovered. 

Breed went on to say this incident is a setback when looking at the hard work put into public safety efforts in San Francisco. 

"My hope is that we can demonstrate that this is an isolated incident, one where our officers acted swiftly, and the things that we put into place and how they were designed led to an arrest and will lead to accountability," Breed said. "We hope that people who think that they can come to San Francisco and commit these acts understand that they will be held to account." 

Pearsall was a first-round draft pick for the 49ers, but he has been unable to play in preseason games because he suffered a shoulder injury. 

Pearsall only recently started practicing with his team after recovering from the injury. 

Tweets began to pour out on X. Players with the team as well as several local leaders took to Twitter to say they are grateful Pearsall is OK. 

"He's good," 49er wide receiver Deebo Samuel wrote. "Thank god!!!!" 

Mark Farrell, who previously served as San Francisco's interim mayor and is now running for the office, took to X to criticize his opponent in response to the shooting. 

"Our city has suffered from a tragic series of gun shootings: a Galileo high student shot while Breed partied in Chicago, a young girl in Crocker-Amazon with life-threatening wounds, and now 49ers first round draft pick Ricky Pearsall struck with gunfire during an attempted robbery in Union Square," he wrote. "Enough is enough. If we want public safety in San Francisco, then we need change in City Hall." 

KTVU crime reporter Henry Lee contributed to this report.