San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an alleged armed robbery on August 31.

On Sunday, the police officer who helped save his life, SFPD Sgt. Joelle Harrell shared with ESPN how she reacted to the scene after seeing Pearsall’s wound.

“When he got up, I saw his wound on his chest,” she said. “And I thought, ‘Oh no.’ So I took my strong hand, placed it over the hole to create a suction. And then I took my other hand to apply direct pressure to his head. “Am I going to die from this?” I said, ‘Look at me. I know you don’t know me, but I need you to trust me, it’s not your time.’

The 49ers honored both Harrell and Dr. Judy Kornblith – the surgeon who operated on Pearsall after he was taken to the hospital – during a September 9 game against the New York Jets.

Pearsall has fully recovered from his injuries and returned to the field in his NFL debut last week during San Francisco’s 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He caught three passes for 21 yards.