Robert GrahamA 17-year-old boy charged as a juvenile with shooting and wounding 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall during a robbery attempt made his first court appearance on Wednesday, and his attorney addressed a media scrum afterward.
"The only reason you’re here talking to me is because Mr. Pearsall’s a 49er, I mean let’s be honest about that," said Deputy Public Defender Bob Dunlap, adding his client had no idea the man he's accused of confronting was a professional football player.
"I don’t want the media presence in this case to warp the trajectory of what would normally happen in a case like this. I just don’t think there should be a different outcome," Dunlap said.
Cameras were not allowed in court at San Francisco’s Juvenile Justice Center. His parents sat in the audience, and his mother listened to the proceedings with the help of a Spanish-language interpreter.
The boy is a high school senior in Tracy. He showed no visible emotion as the judge read the charges, including attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and attempted robbery.
UPDATE: Boy, 17, charged by @SFDAOffice @BrookeJenkinsSF w/shooting @49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall @S1ickSzn makes 1st appearance in juvenile court in att.murder case. @sfdefender @CardozaLaw weigh in. Sketches by @courtart 5:30,6:15 p.m. @KTVU pic.twitter.com/LtEMj9zz62
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) September 4, 2024
Authorities say the boy confronted Pearsall near Geary and Grant streets in Union Square on Saturday and tried to rob him. During the confrontation, Pearsall was shot in the chest, and police say the teenager ended up getting shot by his own gun.
"He was shot through the left arm, similar to Mr. Pearsall’s injury, is what we call a through and through," Dunlap said.