By Sarah Roebuck
SAN FRANCISCO — On Aug. 31, San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted armed robbery in the Union Square area.
San Francisco Police Department Sgt. Joelle Harrell, who was the first responder on the scene of the shooting, detailed the response to the shooting during an interview with ESPN that aired on Oct. 27.
On the day of the shooting, Harrell was stationed one block away on Geary St.
“I heard the two very loud pops,” Harrell told ESPN. “I just remember feeling it here, in my chest, I was like, ‘those were gunshots.’”
Harrell told ESPN that she remembers running up to the scene and seeing a tall man, identified as Pearsall, who was bleeding from the head.
Harrell’s husband, Sgt. Frank Harrell, also a member of the San Francisco Police Department, recounted hearing his wife’s voice over the radio.
“I heard my wife’s voice over the radio, and she stated that there was a shooting in progress,” Sgt. Frank Harrell said.
Harrell helped Pearsall up from the ground. It was at that moment she realized Pearsall had a gunshot wound to his chest, ESPN reports.
“When he stood up, I saw his wound on his chest, and I was like, ‘Oh no.’ So I took my strong hand, applied it over the hole to create a suction. And then I took my other hand to apply direct pressure to his head.”
Pearsall was able to give Harrell a description of the suspect, which helped officers quickly apprehend a 17-year-old suspect down the street as Harrell continued to treat Pearsall, according to ESPN.
“He goes, ‘Am I going to die from this?’ I said, ‘Look at me. I know you don’t know me, but I need you to trust me, it’s not your time,” Harrell recalled.
Paramedics transported Pearsall to a nearby hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound that entered the right side of his chest and exited through his back, narrowly missing organs, ESPN reports.
The 49ers recognized both Harrell and Dr. Judy Kornblith, the surgeon who operated on Pearsall after he arrived at the hospital, during their Sept. 9 game against the New York Jets.
Pearsall has since made a full recovery from his injuries and made his NFL debut on Oct. 20 in the San Francisco 49ers’ 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In his first game, Pearsall recorded three receptions for 21 yards on five targets and was met with a warm ovation from the home crowd after catching his first career pass.
The 49ers have been hit hard by injuries, particularly on offense. Second-team All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season due to a knee injury sustained in last week’s game against the Chiefs, USA Today reports. Additionally, fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. is recovering from a recent hospitalization for pneumonia, though he returned to practice on Oct. 24.
Looking ahead, the 49ers will return to prime time in Week 8 with a Sunday night showdown against the Dallas Cowboys at home. Both teams are eager for a win, with San Francisco fighting to remain at the top of the NFC West and Dallas pushing to stay in playoff contention.