By Sarah Roebuck

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

San Francisco Police Department Sergeant Joëlle Harrellwho was the first responder to the scene of the shooting, detailed the response to the shooting during a meeting interview with ESPN that aired on October 27.

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

“I heard the two very loud pops,” Harrell told ESPN. “I remember feeling it here in my chest, thinking, ‘those were gunshots.'”

Harrell told ESPN that she remembers running to the scene and seeing a tall man, identified as Pearsall, bleeding from his head.

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

“I heard my wife’s voice over the radio and she stated there was a shooting in progress,” said Sgt. said Frank Harrell.

Harrell helped Pearsall to his feet. That’s when she realized Pearsall had a gunshot wound to his chest, ESPN reported.

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

Pearsall was able to provide Harrell with a description of the suspect, allowing officers to quickly apprehend a 17-year-old suspect down the street while Harrell continued to treat Pearsall, according to ESPN.

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

Paramedics took 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 49ers recognized both Harrell and Dr. Judy Kornbliththe surgeon who operated on Pearsall after he arrived at the hospital, during their September 9 game against the New York Jets.

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 recorded three receptions for 21 yards on five targets and received a warm ovation from the home crowd after catching his first career pass.

The 49ers have been hit hard by injuries, especially on offense. Second-team All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season due to a knee injury suffered in last week’s game against the Chiefs, USA Today reports this. Additionally, fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. recovers. from a recent hospital admission for pneumonia, although he returned to practice on October 24.

Looking ahead, the 49ers return to prime time in Week 8 with a Sunday night showdown against the Dallas Cowboys at home. Both teams are eager to win, with San Francisco fighting to stay at the top of the NFC West and Dallas trying to stay in the playoffs.