Teen charged in shooting of 49ers' Ricky Pearsall to be tried in juvenile court
The teen charged in the shooting of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall last year will be tried in juvenile court, a judge ruled Friday.
In a statement to CBS News Bay Area, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement that the court denied her office's motion to transfer the case to adult court. The suspect, who was 17 years old at the time, is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder and attempted second-degree robbery.
"I firmly believe that in most cases, Juvenile Court is appropriate for minors. Nevertheless, when I have concerns that the Juvenile Justice system is not suitable to rehabilitate the minor before juvenile jurisdiction terminates, it is my duty to seek a transfer hearing," Jenkins said.
The district attorney added that her evaluation of the case included "taking a hard look" at the Juvenile Probation Department's history with rehabilitating minors, especially those charged with the most serious crimes.
"To date, as Juvenile Probation testified to during this proceeding, all the youths that have 'satisfactorily completed SF Secure track programing' have reoffended and are either pending felony charges in criminal court or been convicted of at least one felony in adult criminal court before the age of 25," Jenkins said. "I respect the court's decision and hope that rehabilitation is successful and public safety is preserved in this case."
The Aug. 31, 2024 shooting of the 49ers rookie in the city's busiest shopping district made national headlines. Authorities said at the time that Pearsall was walking about a block from Union Square when the suspect attempted to rob him, which led to a physical altercation and a shooting. Gunfire from the suspect's firearm struck Pearsall and the suspect.
Pearsall, who had been shot in the chest, avoided damage to his organs. The wide receiver made his NFL debut less than two months later.
A pretrial conference in the case has been scheduled for Wednesday, prosecutors said.