Ricky Pearsall might have had a guardian angel by his side moments after he was shot in an attempted robbery on Saturday near Union Square in downtown San Francisco.
The 49ers rookie's life very likely was saved by San Francisco Police Department Sergeant Joelle Harrell.
In an exclusive story from The San Francisco Chronicle's St. John Barned-Smith, Sgt. Harrell recounted how she initially heard what she thought were gunshots and ran in the direction of the sound.
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Upon finding Pearsall, Sgt. Harrell at first was unaware that he played for the 49ers. The first-round draft pick told her that the suspect, later identified as a 17-year-old male from Tracy, Calif., tried to rob him as he was walking back to his car.
After a few moments, Sgt. Harrell told Barned-Smith that she took Pearsall's shirt and used it to apply pressure to his chest wound. She used her hat to apply pressure to the through-and-through wound in his back.
Per Barned-Smith, Sgt. Harrell told Pearsall to remain calm.
Pearsall, who turns 24 on Sept. 9, asked Sgt. Harrell if he was going to die from the gunshot wounds he had just sustained.
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Per Barned-Smith, Sgt. Harrell told Pearsall he wasn't going to die and she started praying.
“You’re strong,” Sgt. Harrell told Pearsall, per Barned-Smith. “Just focus on the breathing. And he listened. He calmed down, and that’s what I wanted him to do.”
Eyewitness video posted to social media shortly after Pearsall was shot shows him able to walk to an ambulance, which took him to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.
Pearsall's mother posted an encouraging update on her son, who was released from the hospital on Sunday, the 49ers announced in a statement.
The 49ers have high hopes for Pearsall, but for now, the only thing that matters is his recovery from a traumatic incident and serious injuries.
Pearsall and Sgt. Harrell likely will be connected for the rest of their lives.