The guns of America were blazing this past weekend, and two prominent members of America’s sports landscape were shot. One man survived and one young lady is dead.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest in an attempted robbery in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, the NFL team said in a statement.
Pearsall “is in serious but stable condition,” the 49ers confirmed.
A 17-year-old boy attempted to rob Pearsall at gunpoint as he was taking a stroll around 3:30 p.m. PT, when an altercation broke out between the two, resulting in both of them suffering injuries, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
College Gymnast Kara Welsh Shot and Killed By Known Acquaintance
Kara Welsh, a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast wasn’t so lucky. Welsh was fatally shot by a man in an apartment about a block from the university’s main campus, authorities said.
Welsh, who reportedly won an individual national title on the vault for the gymnastics team last season, was allegedly shot multiple times by a 23-year-old man she reportedly knew.
While Pearsall was unlucky and the victim of a by-chance robbery attempt, Welsh’s relationship with her murderer has not been specified and his name has not been released.
Police say that “through investigation, it was determined that leading up to the shooting, an altercation had occurred between the two.”
This implies a domestic violence situation of some sort, although that has not been confirmed by authorities as of Labor Day.
Pearsall Will Suit Up As Rookie For San Francisco 49ers: Two People, Two Guns, Two Fates
While Welsh will never get a chance to fulfill her goals due to senseless violence, Pearsall, a rookie wide receiver who was drafted by the 49ers with the 31st pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, will live to play again. Probably with a passion that he never could draw upon if not for his potentially deadly encounter.
Before being drafted, the 23-year-old played three years at Arizona State and two at Florida during his collegiate career. He finished his last collegiate season, amassing 965 receiving yards and six touchdowns in his final season with Florida.
When you examine the possibilities and the hand that fate dealt Welsh, Pearsall can be nothing but grateful.
“Gunfire from the suspect’s gun struck both Mr. Pearsall and the subject,” San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said in a Saturday news conference, adding multiple shots were fired.
His mother, Erin, says that the bullet from when he was shot entered Ricky’s chest and exited his back without hitting any vital organs. From the police reports, it appears that Pearsall was fighting for his life and somehow the suspect was shot as well. Botched robbery attempt, to say the least.
The suspect, a resident of Tracy, California, was taken into police custody after attempting to “run away,” Scott said.
Charges will be filed in juvenile court, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said at the news conference. A charging decision will be made by Tuesday or Wednesday, Jenkins said.
Fortunately for Pearsall, officers were swift and rendered aid to him and the suspect and transported them to a hospital for treatment, a release said. Police have not announced a possible motive for the shooting, but there is no indication at this time that Pearsall was targeted because he is a football player. It is believed to have been a robbery attempt.
Gymnastics World Mourns Murder Of Kara Welsh
In the case of Welsh, who is from Plainfield, Illinois, she majored in management in the university’s College of Business and Economics.
In an X post, USA Gymnastics said, “we offer our deepest condolences to Kara’s family, friends and teammates.”
“We know the news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our community. It is a time when we are all called upon to support one another, to process, and to grieve,” UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King said.
Police have asked the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office to consider a charge of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by the use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while armed.
Growing Gun Problem In San Francisco?
Two tragedies and one fatal result. While Whitewater will have to provide support systems and offer counseling for anyone affected by the murder of Welsh, a beloved member of their community, Pearsall’s brush with death opens the eyes of the San Francisco community to a glaring problem.
San Francisco’s rate of firearm-related homicides has almost doubled since 2015, according to an analysis by the left-leaning Center for American Progress Action Fund provided exclusively to Axios.
When citizens can’t walk the streets, even in upscale neighborhoods without threat of being robbed or shot, a larger problem is looming.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed at the news conference called the attempted robbery “a terrible and rare incident in Union Square.”
“I look forward to seeing him recover and get back on the field,” she said.
“This kind of violence has no place in our city and will never be tolerated. My heart goes out to Mr. Pearsall and his family and I wish him a speedy recovery,” he said in a post on X. “Thankfully, our hard-working officers made a swift arrest in this case and we will do everything within our power to ensure justice is served.”
The guns of America, doing what they do. When in the hands of the wrong person, nothing but heartache and tragedy awaits, often for good people who don’t deserve it.