Ricky Pearsall shooting: Teen suspect 'very sorry' after arraignment in juvenile court

The 17-year-old boy accused of shooting San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall in an attempted robbery was arraigned Wednesday in juvenile court Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

The teenager, who is not being identified because he is a minor by California law, faces charges of attempted murder, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and second-degree attempted robbery. The attempted murder charge carries allegations of personal discharge of a firearm, and personal and intentional discharge of a firearm.

He reportedly wore a green sweatshirt and green pants during the hearing, looking straight ahead at the judge and not turning around to acknowledge his parents, who were behind him in the room.

The teen’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Bob Dunlap, relayed an apology to reporters after the hearing. From the AP:

"He's genuinely very sorry that this did happen, as is his family, and I can say on their behalf, as well as on my own behalf, our thoughts go out to the Pearsall family and Mr. Pearsall himself. So there is genuine, genuine remorse in that regard," Dunlap said. "He is a young boy."

The incident in question occurred on Saturday, in which the suspect is accused of attempting to steal a Rolex watch from Pearsall. The 23-year-old Pearsall resisted, resulting in a struggle that saw him take a bullet to the chest, while the suspect was shot in the arm.

Fortunately, the bullet is said to have missed all vital organs, though the wound was bleeding profusely at the scene. Pearsall was released from the hospital a day after the incident and the Niners are confident he will play this season.

As for the suspect, his fate is heavily tied to whether his trial remains in juvenile court. As San Francisco Attorney Brooke Jenkins explained Tuesday, minors convicted of crimes in juvenile court can only be imprisoned until the age of 25, at which point they are released with no restrictions.

In order for the suspect to be tried as an adult, Jenkins' office would need to request a transfer hearing, as she explained:

"The only mechanism for that is to request a transfer hearing which requires that a judge rule on the minor's fitness to be transferred to adult court, which essentially means the juvenile system would not be equipped to rehabilitate that minor. So going forward, my office will review the case more closely to determine whether or not we will seek that fitness hearing."

The teen lives in Tracy, Calif., about 60 miles east from San Francisco. A probation officer reportedly recommended the teen stay in custody and be transferred to his home in San Joaquin County, where he has another pending, but the judge ruled he would stay in San Francisco custody.