San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall continues to deal with the aftermath of an unfortunate shooting in late August. Pearsall was shot in the arm during an attempted robbery on Aug. 31, and thankfully, he is on the road to recovery. Stunning details from the defendant in the shooting case have emerged, given a statement from Public Defendant Robert Dunlap.
Dunlap discussed what allegedly happened during Pearsall and the defendant's struggle after obtaining new video footage from the incident:
“It was a rather extended struggle between Mr. Pearsall and my client. They were really fighting back and forth on the sidewalk. As you might imagine, Mr. Pearsall gets the best of it. … He does kind of a nice hip toss and throws my client to the ground and ends up on top of him,” Dunlap explained, per David Lombardi of The Athletic.
Dunlap further stated he believes the video he reviewed supports the case as an attempted robbery rather than attempted murder. Moreover, Dunlap said he could not yet see the point where shots were fired on the video but hopes additional video will shed light on it.
Ricky Pearsall received non-surgical treatment for his wound from the altercation and was eventually released in “fair condition.” The 49ers later placed the rookie wide receiver on the non-football injury (NFI) list. The team expects him to miss at least four games while he completes his recovery.
San Francisco selected Pearsall with their 31st pick in the first round of the 2024 draft. He was a standout receiver with the Florida football program after he spent three years at Arizona State. Pearsall amassed 1,207 yards and six touchdowns in his final year with Florida before pursuing professional play.
Hopefully, Pearsall will continue to have a safe and efficient recovery from injury as details of his late-August incident develop.