The 17-year-old suspect from Tracy accused of shooting 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall in San Francisco will soon learn what charges he faces as Pearsall recovers at home from a gunshot wound to his chest.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins on Tuesday or Wednesday is expected to announce charges against the teenager and whether or not he’ll be tried as an adult.
Jenkins said pursuing adult charges against the teen is not a simple process.
"We are no longer as district attorneys allowed to direct file, so choose whether we proceed in juvenile or adult court," she said. "We now only are limited to filing a petition or a request to a panel of judges for permission to transfer a minor to adult court."
In 2019, Senate bill 1391 became law, requiring district attorneys to go through a few steps before being able to charge a 16 or 17 year old in the adult criminal court system.
Legal analyst Jeff Hayden said the court would have to weigh five factors before moving a case into the adult court system, including the age of the accused, the complexity and severity of the crime, a prior criminal history, and any past rehabilitation of the teen.
"In the juvenile justice system, the efforts are made to rehabilitate the minor and to keep the public safe," Hayden said. "But the primary emphasis is to turn him around so things like this don't happen."
Meanwhile, 49ers general manager John Lynch said Pearsall is recovering well.
"He's doing remarkable," Lynch said Tuesday. "He's so much better today than he was yesterday. Really, really miraculous. Didn't touch organs. Feels like all the nerve stuff is good. I mean it's pretty remarkable."
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Pearsall will miss at least the first four games of the season.
