Pearsall after shooting: I want to live 'happy life'

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall says he was unsure of his fate after he was shot in the chest during an armed robbery last year near San Francisco's Union Square.

"My adrenaline was rushing. I didn't feel, really, much pain at all. It was just more of like a burning sensation," Pearsall told ESPN in a sit-down interview. "I'm very religious. I'm a Christian. I just didn't know if I was going to go to heaven or hell.

"I definitely thought about my family ... not knowing if I was going to tell my family I love them again."

Recounting the Aug. 31, 2024, situation in-depth for the first time, Pearsall said he saw in his peripheral vision someone approaching him as he opened the back of his car to place shopping bags inside his vehicle.

Pearsall, who earlier in the day hosted a nearby autograph signing, said he initially thought the person was a fan.

"Then, I analyzed the situation and was like, 'OK, this guy doesn't really look like a fan at all,'" Pearsall said. "He was in all black, hoodie on, and he obviously had his gun out immediately."

A physical altercation took place before the suspect shot Pearsall once in the chest and fled the scene. The suspect, 17 years old at the time, was arrested shortly after by police.

"I had a sleeveless shirt on and, like, the hole was very visual, blood coming out everywhere," Pearsall said.

Pearsall, 25, said he saw no one around to help him until San Francisco Police Sergeant Joelle Harrell, who was blocks away patrolling the area on foot, arrived first on the scene.

"I had a sense of relief when I saw Joelle, for sure, when she patched me up," Pearsall said. "We just took a moment to just breathe and pray and hearing her voice telling me I'm going to be OK, and just to be strong."

A bystander took a video of Pearsall standing and walking gingerly to a stretcher. Pearsall laughs now about the scene depicted.

"I may have looked calm, but really I was freaking out," he said. "In my mind, it was like, 'Let's get a move on.' Like, 'Let's get on the stretcher, let's get to the hospital.'"

Medics transported Pearsall to San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, where he was listed in serious but stable condition. The bullet entered Pearsall's chest and exited his back.

Fifty days after the shooting, Pearsall made his 49ers debut in Week 7 last season, catching three passes for 21 yards. Pearsall finished his rookie season with 31 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdowns.

The journey to return to football was challenging physically and mentally.

"Initially, honestly, like, the physical part, it was difficult," Pearsall said. "My arm was basically, like, nonexistent. Like, it felt really dead and scar tissue -- I had a lot of soreness initially.

"But I wasn't worried about that. Like, pain wasn't really relevant for me. It was more of the mental battle as far as, like, PTSD is a real thing. I've had a few incidents where I have been spooked for no reason because of just replaying things in my mind or maybe, like, certain sounds or certain, like, movements of people, like, would freak me out initially."

Pearsall has appeared in six games this season, hauling in 23 receptions for 333 yards. The 2024 first-round draft selection missed six games because of a knee injury before returning two weeks ago for San Francisco's victory against the Arizona Cardinals.

Pearsall said it remains a constant effort to move forward to try to heal his post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I want to live a happy life," Pearsall said. "Reality is, I am here. I'm alive. A lot of good people around me. I shouldn't be freaking out about certain things, holding myself back from the moments that I could be where my feet are at and enjoying my life."