49ers' John Lynch gives update on Ricky Pearsall after San Francisco shooting: 'Fortunate young man'
Pearsall was shot in the chest in San Francisco's Union Square during an attempted robbery
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch spoke during a press conference on Tuesday and gave an update on rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who was shot in San Francisco last weekend.
"Just by the grace of God, Ricky Pearsall's here with the team and doing really well, and just wanted to address that situation from a team perspective. We just all feel incredibly blessed," said Lynch.
Lynch who visited Pearsall at the hospital over the weekend confirmed that Pearsall did not suffer any nerve or organ damage.
VIDEO: Watch 49ers' John Lynch full update on Ricky Pearsall after San Francisco shooting
Pearsall was shot in the chest in San Francisco's Union Square just before 4 p.m. Saturday during an attempted robbery.
Lynch said he spoke to Pearsall Tuesday morning, and said Pearsall wants to express our gratitude to a variety of people, including the San Francisco Police Department for their incredible response.
RELATED: 49ers' Ricky Pearsall shooting: Teen suspect facing attempted murder charge, SF DA says
The first officer to arrive on the scene of the shooting was Sgt. Joelle Harrell. She is being described as a hero, who may have saved Pearsall's life.
"I want to in particular recognize Joelle Harrell. I met Joelle. I met her husband, Frank, who happened to be in charge of everything at the hospital at San Francisco General. But his wife was the first on the scene. And think we've all seen the measures she went to to make Ricky comfortable and, and she was, she was there for him in a real rough time. And I know how appreciative Ricky is of that. We're appreciative to the entire police department. They just were tremendous," Lynch said.
RELATED: SFPD officer recounts rushing to aid 49ers' Ricky Pearsall after he was shot
Lynch also gave thanks to San Francisco Police Chief William Scott and San Francisco General Hospital.
"The care that they gave Ricky and his family, the respect, the way they handled things was just, was, was unbelievable. And we're eternally grateful for that."
Lynch also thanked the 49ers staff.
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There was an immense feeling of relief and excitement among the 49ers Tuesday both on the practice field and in the locker room.
It all comes after they got to see their teammate Ricky Pearsall for the first time since he was shot.
"Just hugged him and just let him know, man, just take it at his own pace," said Jauan Jennings, wide receiver.
Pearsall first got to talk with his teammates Saturday via FaceTime at a Training Camp Party.
"We had a team party that was scheduled," Lynch said, "When I got to the hospital and visited with Ricky, one of the first things he said, 'Mr. Lynch, what's going on? You know, I would really like everyone to go to that party. And I'd also like to talk to some of my teammates'. I said, 'Ricky, you take care of yourself.' Kind of a cool moment, we were able to pipe Ricky into the party and he faced him the entire group."
Still the teammates said nothing beat seeing him in person Monday and Tuesday.
"As soon as I saw him, I smiled, man," said guard Dominick Puni.
Right now, 49ers General Manager John Lynch said they're doing everything they can to make sure that Pearsall does take things at his own pace, for now putting Pearsall on the non-football injury list.
"We had to act quickly with that decision," Lynch said, "I wish we had some more time to make it, but ultimately we felt, the number one thing we had to be concerned with was Ricky's wellbeing."
Still according to Lynch's update, Pearsall may not be on that list for too long.
"It's nothing short of miraculous that he came out of this as good as he did," Lynch said.
A 17-year-old male from Tracy, California, attempted to rob Ricky Pearsall, resulting in a struggle between the two, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Both Pearsall and the suspect were shot during the struggle.
After Pearsall was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, police announced that he was in stable condition. He was upgraded to fair condition Sunday morning and released from the hospital soon after, less than 24 hours following the shooting.
RELATED: What experts say 49ers WR Ricky Pearsall's recovery might look like after being shot in the chest
Chief William Scott said the suspect was arrested right after the shooting. The initial investigation indicated he was acting alone "as far as we know," Scott said, adding that police would continue to scour the many surveillance cameras in the area as the probe continues.
Scott said there was "no indication" that the suspect had targeted Pearsall because he is a professional football player and added that there was one gun involved, with multiple shots fired.
RELATED: 49ers put Ricky Pearsall on NFI list after WR shot in chest during attempted robbery in SF
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins filed attempted murder charges against the 17-year-old on Tuesday.
The shooting that injured Pearsall comes just as the team is overcoming some turbulent times.
Late last week, it was reported that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk finally reached a deal with the team after high-stakes contract negotiations.
It was announced that star left tackle Trent Williams is finalizing a new deal after a prolonged holdout.
With Aiyuk and Williams on board and Pearsall on his way to recovery, the team says they're ready for the first game of the season Monday against the New York Jets.
"This is a great way to open the season, against a great defense, against a great offense as well," said Center Jake Brendel, "I think it'll be a good showdown."
RELATED: San Francisco 49ers' Ricky Pearsall shot in attempted robbery at Union Square, authorities confirm
John Lynch is confident Ricky Pearsall will be able to return this season.
"And hopefully this, this makes everyone step back and pause, and like I said, it's miraculous the kid (is) doing as well as he is, he's in good spirits," Lynch said.
"We're gonna put our support and love behind Ricky and work through this... it is a game week. But this really makes you stop and reflect on how precious life is. He's a very fortunate young man, just we're so grateful for so many people that allow the outcome to be as good as it could possibly be."
ESPN contributed to this report
