By Joanna Putman
Police1
SAN FRANCISCO — A wounded NFL player listened to a San Fransisco Police Department officer’s encouragement to remain calm and is expected to recover after being shot in the chest, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
According to Sgt. Frank Harrell of the San Francisco Police Department, 49ers player Ricky Pearsall, 23, was targeted by a 17-year-old assailant who had noticed Pearsall’s expensive watch. Pearsall, who had participated in an autograph session earlier in the day, was alone when he was approached by the suspect, according to the report.
A struggle ensued, during which Pearsall was shot in the chest at close range. The teenager was also injured in the altercation and was later apprehended by police near the scene, according to the report.
Sgt. Joelle Harrell, who was nearby when the incident occurred, provided first aid to Pearsall. It took her less than a minute to reach the end of the block where the shooting happened, the San Fransisco Chronicle reports.
“Be strong, like you’re on the field,” she told Pearsall, encouraging him to stay conscious until medical help arrived.
Harrell said Pearsall was bleeding from his chest and back, and she helped him stay calm by asking him questions about his attacker, according to the report.
“He listened, that’s what I wanted him to do,” she said.
Pearsall was able to describe his attacker to Harrell, as well as the direction the attacker ran. Harrell then called out to a nearby officer who was on a motorcycle to send details of the robbery to dispatch, according to the San Fransisco Chronicle.
Harrell then turned to a sergeant who had arrived on the scene and told them to call for an ambulance, San Fransisco Chronicle reported.
It was at that point that Harrell used Pearsall’s shirt to apply pressure to his front chest wound, and Pearsall’s baseball cap to apply pressure to the exit wound on his back, according to the report.
Pearsall’s condition, initially serious, was upgraded to fair before his release from the hospital, according to the report.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott confirmed that the suspect acted alone and that the investigation is ongoing. No details about the items the suspect attempted to steal have been released.
Pearsall, a first-round draft pick from the University of Florida, was expected to play a key role for the 49ers this season despite recent injury setbacks. His condition following the shooting casts doubt on his availability for the team’s season opener on Sept. 9, according to the report.