A judge ruled on Friday that the teenager who allegedly shot 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall in September 2024 will be tried as a juvenile.

The suspect was 17 at the time of the shooting. He’s now 18.

Citing the San Francisco Chronicle , the Associated Press explains that the suspect would have faced far greater consequences if he had been found guilty of attempted murder, assault, and attempted robbery in adult court.

Prosecutors had argued that, because Pearsall could have died, the suspect should have been tried as an adult. The suspect’s lawyer argued that he had suffered abuse and trauma as a child, and that he has been a “model prisoner” during the past year in juvenile detention.

Friday’s ruling capped a weeklong hearing on whether the suspect would be tried as an adult.

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