SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) — Two of the first responders who helped San Francisco 49ers’ rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall after he was shot during an attempted robbery were honored before the team’s season opener at Levi’s Stadium on Monday night.
SFPD Sargent Joelle Harrell was the first officer to arrive and assist Pearsall after he was shot near Union Square. Her husband and fellow Sargent, Frank Harrell joined her for the game Thursday against the New York Jets.
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San Francisco General Hospital Surgeon Dr. Luck Kornblith was one of the surgeons who treated Pearsall at the hospital and was also honored at the game.
Pearsall gave each of them signed jerseys in a gratitude-filled reunion on the field.
As the Niners opened their official work week leading to Monday night’s showdown against the New York Jets, Pearsall strolled out to the field a few minutes into Thursday’s session. Wearing a dark 49ers T-shirt, gray sweatpants a pair of cleats, Pearsall tossed a football to himself as he watched his fellow receivers go through individual drills.
It was Pearsall’s first public appearance since he was shot by a 17-year-old male suspect while shopping for luggage near San Francisco’s Union Square.
About an hour before Pearsall’s practice field appearance, coach Kyle Shanahan recounted an emotional Saturday.
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“It was really tough,” Shanahan said. “We just knew that he got shot. And that was all we knew. And then it took us about an hour to figure out what the hospital was and things like that, because we just made a couple calls to people, so we had it from them. But none of us knew where he was or anything.”
Roughly 40 minutes after the initial call, Shanahan got another one saying that Pearsall was conscious, talking and going to survive but that was confirmed fully when Pearsall called Shanahan via FaceTime.
“That was like the first time I knew he was all right,” Shanahan said. “It was really amazing. Because that hour when you hear about a shooting, we didn’t know where it was or anything, so you just assume the worst. Then to hear it was in the chest, you don’t think that usually goes that well. Then actually to talk to him like 15 minutes after that, and just talk to a guy that seems like he’s okay.”
The 17-year-old suspect is due back in juvenile court Tuesday for a pre-trial conference. He is charged with attempted murder, assault with a semi automatic firearm, and attempted second degree robbery.
San Francisco’s District Attorney told us it will be at least two weeks before she decides if she will try to prosecute him as an adult.
As for Pearsall, he is expected to make a full recovery but will miss at least four games as the 49ers give him time to recover.
ESPN contributed to this article.
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