A San Francisco judge has ruled that the teenager who shot San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall during an 2024 attempted robbery will not be tried as an adult.
On Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, Judge Denise de Bellefeuille decided the now-18-year-old suspect’s case will remain in juvenile court after a weeklong hearing.
The shooting took place on Aug. 31, 2024, in San Francisco’s Union Square, when Pearsall, then 23, was walking back to his car after shopping at luxury stores. The teen allegedly spotted Pearsall wearing a Rolex and jewelry before attempting to rob him at gunpoint.
During a struggle, the suspect’s gun went off, hitting Pearsall in the chest and grazing the suspect in the arm. The teen was arrested a block away.
Pearsall was rushed to the hospital, but doctors confirmed the bullet had narrowly missed his vital organs. His mother later revealed the shot pierced through a tattoo of praying hands and an angel on his chest. Miraculously, Pearsall was discharged the following day — and just under two months later, he made his NFL debut on Oct. 20, 2024.
The teen faces charges of attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic weapon, and attempted second-degree robbery. Prosecutors had pushed to try him as an adult, arguing the severity of the crime could have cost Pearsall his life. If convicted as an adult, the teen could have faced 40 to 50 years in prison. In juvenile court, the maximum sentence is seven years.
But defense attorney Bob Dunlap emphasized the teen’s history of trauma, including abuse at home and time in the foster system, as well as his progress since entering detention.
Over the past 13 months, the suspect graduated from high school, enrolled in online community college, started a book club, and participated in programs like basketball and a culinary garden club. Teachers described him as a “model student” who was “calm, respectful” and “curious in the classroom.”
The teen also wrote a letter to Pearsall apologizing, saying he was praying for the athlete and even hoped to attend one of his games one day. Dunlap said his client is “genuinely very sorry” about what happened.
Judge de Bellefeuille acknowledged the seriousness of the crime but ultimately said she believed the teen deserved “an opportunity of redemption,” telling him he was “lucky” he was still 17 at the time of the shooting.
Dunlap called the ruling an “enormous relief and joy,” noting his client had narrowly avoided a life sentence.
But San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said she was “disappointed” with the decision, pointing to concerns that other teens who completed similar rehabilitation programs later reoffended. Still, she added,
“I respect the court’s decision and hope rehabilitation is successful and public safety is preserved in this case.”
For Pearsall, the ordeal has been marked by physical and emotional healing. Back in January, he shared that he wanted to meet the teen who shot him.
“I can’t judge him as a person solely based on that one violent act,” Pearsall said at the time. “For my own peace, it’s essential for me to forgive him.”
The case will return to juvenile court for a pre-trial conference on Sept. 24, 2025. Unless a plea deal is reached, the teen will face trial — though unlike in adult court, those proceedings will be closed to the public.
