How life can change in a split second… It was a regular Saturday afternoon for 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall. Living his best life since the draft, he signed a few autographs at an event in San Francisco and was heading to Union Square. But that’s when tragedy struck. While at the corner of Geary and Grant Streets, he became a victim of an attempted robbery, which led to him getting shot in the chest during a physical altercation with the suspect. Sure enough, the nation took notice of this shocking incident and it even sent chills down LeBron James’ spine.

Soaking in the harsh reality of the nation, a netizen expressed his fear of the frequent gun violence and claimed that he just wanted to stay home to avoid such incidents. And LeBron James agreed with the sentiment while sending out prayers for the NFL star, “Facts bro!! Home, work and back home! Prayers to Ricky Pearsall!”

As per the latest reports, Ricky is in a “serious but stable” condition following the unfortunate bullet wound and is currently admitted to the San Francisco General Hospital. The suspect also suffered some injuries during the altercation and was soon arrested by the local police. Chief William Scott said, “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.”

Not only LeBron James but also San Francisco’s mayor London Breed addressed the incident directly and even visited the hospital to get more updates on the NFL rookie’s condition. “My thoughts are with Ricky and his family at this time,” Breed quoted. While the unfortunate shooting left our Lakers legend saddened, this is not the first time he has expressed concern regarding the root cause.

LeBron James blasted America’s “ridiculous” gun laws after a tragic incident

As LeBron was preparing to play in the semi-final of the inaugural in-season tournament last year, the nation received devastating news about a mass shooting at UNLV. Taking his focus away from basketball and focusing on a more serious national issue, James expressed his disgust with the current laws, “The ability to get a gun, the ability to do these things over and over and over, and there’s been no change is literally ridiculous.”

With rising cases of gun violence, LeBron James expressed sadness about the many lives lost because of it, “It makes no sense that we continue to lose innocent lives, on campuses, schools, at shopping markets and movie theaters and all type of stuff. It’s ridiculous.”

Moreover, he constantly tries to play his part in making America a safer nation to live in. And that was evident when he initiated the ‘More Than A Vote’ group to battle voter suppression among African American voters right after the unfortunate death of George Floyd.

As the nation heads toward the Presidential elections, Ricky Pearsall getting publicly shot and LeBron James alongside many other big names speaking up about it will surely resurface this glaring concern among citizens. What are your thoughts about the incident?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger