Pearsall after shooting: I want to live 'happy life'

""My adrenaline was rushing. I didn't feel, really, much pain at all. It was just more of like a burning sensation," Pearsall told ESPN in a sit-down interview. "I'm very religious. I'm a Christian. I just didn't know if I was gonna go to heaven or hell. "I definitely thought about my family ... not knowing if I was gonna tell my family I love them again.""

"Recounting the Aug. 31, 2024, situation in-depth for the first time, Pearsall said he saw in his peripheral vision someone approaching him as he opened the backseat of his car to place shopping bags inside his vehicle. Pearsall, who earlier in the day hosted a nearby autograph signing, said he initially thought the person was a fan. "Then, I analyzed the situation and was like, 'OK, this guy doesn't really look like a fan at all,' Pearsall said. "He was in all black, hoodie on, and he obviously had his gun out immediately.""

"A physical altercation took place before the suspect shot Pearsall once in the chest and fled the scene. The suspect, 17 years old at the time, was arrested shortly after by police. "I had a sleeveless shirt on and, like, the hole was very visual, blood coming out everywhere," Pearsall said. Pearsall, 25, said he saw no one around to help him until San Francisco Police Department Sergeant Joelle Harrell, who was blocks away patrolling the area on foot, arrived first on the scene."

Ricky Pearsall, a 25-year-old San Francisco 49ers receiver, was shot once in the chest during an armed robbery near Union Square on Aug. 31, 2024 while placing shopping bags in his car after an autograph signing. He initially thought the approaching person was a fan, then realized the suspect wore all black and brandished a gun. A physical altercation occurred before the gunshot; the suspect, 17 at the time, was arrested shortly after. Pearsall described intense adrenaline, a burning sensation at the wound, concern about dying and thoughts of family, and relief when an SFPD sergeant arrived to help.

Read at ESPN.com