The 17-year-old boy charged in the shooting of 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was arraigned in juvenile court Wednesday in San Francisco, and shared remorse through a statement from his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Bob Dunlap.
“He’s genuinely very sorry that this did happen, as is his family, and I can say on their behalf, as well as on my own behalf, our thoughts go out to the Pearsall family and Mr. Pearsall himself," Dunlap told reporters after the hearing, per The Associated Press. "So, there is genuine, genuine remorse in that regard. He is a young boy.”
Dunlap added the teen's parents told him their son's alleged actions don't reflect his character.
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“They assured me, and from what little I know, that this is completely out of character for him,” Dunlap said, per the San Francisco Chronicle. “I do think there are extreme circumstances that haven’t really formed a part of the narrative yet, but I’m still piecing that together.”
The teen was charged Tuesday with attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic weapon and attempted second-degree robbery. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins' office added several gun-related charges Wednesday, The AP reported.
Jenkins said prosecutors have yet to decide if they will petition the court to try the teen as an adult, but Dunlap believes that isn't needed.
“Even though this is obviously a serious case … in the normal course of events this will not warrant a transfer,” Dunlap said, per the Chronicle. “I hope it doesn’t.”
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Pearsall, the 49ers' 2024 first-round draft pick, was shot Saturday afternoon near San Francisco's Union Square during what police called an attempted robbery by the teen. Pearsall was taken to San Francisco General Hospital and was released Sunday afternoon after his mother, Erin, said he had been shot through his chest without damage to vital organs. He will miss at least the first four games of San Francisco's season.
The teen, whom Dunlap said is a high school senior from Tracy, also was shot in the incident and hospitalized. He's facing another pending criminal matter in San Joaquin County, where he lives, but Superior Court Judge Roger C. Chan said the teen will stay in custody in San Francisco, and ordered him to return for a Sept. 10 pretrial conference.
The teen's trial must be held by Sept. 25, per the Chronicle.
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