In his first court appearance, the 17-year-old who shot San Francisco 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall claimed he was “very sorry that this did happen.” That message came through his court-appointed attorney Bob Dunlap, who said the shooting was “completely out of character for him,” while confirming that the juvenile has another “outstanding matter” in San Joaquin County. The “matter” was not revealed and neither was the suspect’s identity.
No photos of Pearsall’s assailant have appeared and a courtroom sketch portrays him with light brown hair, beard and pony tail, the style of a Malibu surfer. His mother, also unnamed, needed a Spanish interpreter to follow the proceedings, so members of Pearsall’s family, also present in court, have a right to wonder if the shooter is legally present in the United States. As they should know, California’s sanctuary law protects criminal illegals from deportation. The Mexican national who gunned down police officer Ronil “Ron” Singh was one of them.
At 17, the “high-school senior” who shot Pearsall can’t legally own a gun, so California’s myriad gun laws did not prevent this juvenile from acquiring a “semi-automatic firearm.” Gov. Gavin Newsom, former mayor of San Francisco, has yet to denounce the attack on Pearsall as “gun violence.”
The unnamed “high-school senior” has been charged with attempted murder, assault with a firearm, and attempted second-degree robbery. Under California’s 2016 Proposition 57, the decision to move the case to adult court must be made by juvenile court judges, not prosecutors. To try this shooter as an adult should be a no-brainer, but California law is very kind to criminals.
Senate Bill 1391, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2019, bars all prosecution of those under age 16 in adult court. As a result, any criminal under the age of 16 could murder the entire San Francisco 49ers team, be tried only in juvenile court, serve time in a soft juvenile prison, and gain release at age 25. In his signing message, Brown touted “a more just system that respects victims, protects public safety, holds youth accountable,” and so on.
Miraculously enough, the bullet to Ricky Pearsall’s chest hit no vital organs. The rookie is back with the 49ers but will miss the team’s first four games. Meanwhile, to paraphrase Scott McKenzie:
If you’re going to San Francisco,
Be sure to stay away from Union Square
If you’re going to San Francisco
You’re sure to meet, some violent people there
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