San Francisco officer shares how she helped save 49ers player Ricky Pearsall after being shot

By Sarah Roebuck

SAN FRANCISCO – On August 31, the rookie wide receiver became the San Francisco 49ers Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted armed robbery in the Union Square area.

San Francisco Police Sgt. Joelle Harrellwho was the first responder at the scene of the shooting, described the response to the shooting during a hearing Interview with ESPN that aired October 27th.

On the day of the shooting, Harrell was stationed a block away on Geary St.

“I heard the two very loud bangs,” Harrell told ESPN. “I just remember feeling it here in my chest and thinking, 'Those were gunshots.'”

Harrell told ESPN that she remembers running to the scene and seeing a large man named Pearsall bleeding from the head.

Harrell's husband, Sgt. Frank Harrell, also a member of the San Francisco Police Department, said he heard his wife's voice on the radio.

“I heard my wife's voice over the radio and she said there was a shooting going on,” said Sgt. Frank Harrell.

Harrell helped Pearsall up from the ground. That's when she realized Pearsall had a gunshot wound to the chest, ESPN reports.

“When he got up, I saw his wound on his chest and thought, 'Oh no.' So I took my strong hand and placed it over the hole to create suction. And then I used my other hand to apply direct pressure to his head.”

According to ESPN, Pearsall was able to give Harrell a description of the suspect, which helped officers quickly arrest a 17-year-old suspect across the street while Harrell continued to treat Pearsall.

“He asks, 'Am I going to die from this?' I said, 'Look at me.' I know you don't know me, but you have to trust me, it's not your time,” Harrell recalled.

Paramedics transported Pearsall to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for a gunshot wound that entered the right side of his chest and exited through his back, narrowly missing organs, ESPN reports.

The The 49ers recognized both Harrell and Dr. Judy Kornbliththe surgeon who operated on Pearsall after his arrival at the hospital during their game against the New York Jets on September 9th.

Pearsall has since fully recovered from his injuries and made his NFL debut on October 20 in the San Francisco 49ers' 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In his first game, Pearsall caught three balls for 21 yards on five scores and was greeted with a warm ovation from the home crowd after catching his first pass of his career.

The 49ers were hit hard by injuries, especially on offense. Second-team All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season with a knee injury he suffered in last week's game against the Chiefs. USA Today reports. Additionally, fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. is recovering from a recent hospitalization for pneumonia but returned to practice on October 24.

Looking ahead, the 49ers will return to prime time in Week 8 with a Sunday night showdown at home against the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams are eager for a win, with San Francisco fighting to stay atop the NFC West and Dallas pushing to stay in playoff contention.