LeBron James led the online support for Ricky Pearsall after the NFL rookie was shot during an attempted mugging in San Francisco Saturday.
Pearsall, who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in April’s NFL Draft, was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery in San Francisco’s Union Square.
The 17-year-old suspect is believed to have targeted Pearsall for his Rolex, rather than his status as an NFL player. They were arrested at the scene and are now in custody.
NBA icon James was one of many athletes to rally around the wide receiver after news of the terrifying ordeal broke.
‘Facts bro!! Home, work and back home! Prayers to Ricky Pearsall,’ the Lakers legend wrote alongside three prayer hands emoji as he responded to a post saying the incident made the user want to stay at home.
LeBron James (L) led the online support for Ricky Pearsall (R) after the NFL rookie was shot
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Ricky Pearsall is seen in horrifying new video seconds after NFL rookie was shot during robbery
James, who is the NBA’s leading all-time points scorer, wasn’t the only one to show support online as Pearsall’s 49ers teammates also sent him well-wishes.
‘Great News,’ posted wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who agreed a four-year, $120million contract extension with San Francisco this week, alongside multiple praying emojis.
Fellow wideout Deebo Samuel added: ‘He’s good. Thank god!!!!’
Police say Pearsall was targeted over his Rolex watch after shopping at a high-end department store in the area.
Authorities say the attempted robbery backfired when the 17-year-old suspect took a bullet from his own gun during his struggle with Pearsall, who refused to surrender.
The suspect was wounded in the hand or arm and is in stable condition at San Francisco General Hospital as he awaits pending charges, police said. Pearsall was wounded in the chest and is in serious-but-stable condition at the same facility.
Police released a statement late Saturday night describing the incident.
‘On August 31, 2024, at approximately 3:37 p.m., San Francisco Police officers responded to the area of Geary Street and Grant Avenue on a report of a shooting,’ read the statement provided to DailyMail.com. ‘Upon arrival, officers located two male subjects suffering from injuries. Officers rendered aid and medics transported both subjects to a local hospital for further medical evaluation.
The NBA icon was joined by 49ers stars Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in support
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Ricky Pearsall ‘is shot for his Rolex in crime-ridden San Francisco’ a week before NFL rookie’s first 49ers game
‘During the preliminary investigation, officers learned one of the subjects attempted to rob the victim, San Francisco 49ers player Ricky Pearsall. During the attempted robbery, a physical altercation ensued, and both the suspect and victim were injured. The suspect is in custody and charges are pending at this time.’
Mayor London Breed called the shooting a ‘terrible and rare incident in Union Square.’
Breed referred to the incident as a ‘setback’ for an area that has seen crime drop in 2024.
‘The data goes out the window sometimes when something happens like this,’ Breed said, as quoted by the Chronicle.
San Francisco has been plagued by shootings for years, although Breed boasted in April that violent crime was down 14 percent compared with the same time frame in 2023. Specifically, gun violence was down 38 percent over the first quarter of 2024, according to City Hall.
Violent crime had skyrocketed in San Francisco during the pandemic, with 56 and 48 homicides in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Chronicle reporters saw five shell casings at the scene, where Pearsall had reportedly been shopping moments earlier.
One witness told the Chronicle that Pearsall had blood streaming down his left arm.
Pearsall was moving slowly during the footage, which was shot from the opposite side of the street. He did not appear to be overly distressed
‘It was a scary situation,’ the witness, who asked not to be identified, told the Chronicle.
Pearsall was actually seen walking away from Saturday’s shooting.
As seen in a video shared on X by KTVU’s Zak Sos, the wounded Pearsall was led by emergency responders to a waiting ambulance, where he was placed on a stretcher. Pearsall was moving slowly during the footage, which was shot from the opposite side of the street. He did not appear to be overly distressed but was covering his chest area.
KGO-TV’s Dion Lim reported that Pearsall was signing autographs at Cow Palace before going downtown to Union Square for some shopping. Lim’s sources say he was at a high-end designer store moments before being shot.
