Sgt. Joelle Harrell may not have the name recognition of the other San Franciscans of the Year, but her heroism places her in a unique position.
Harrell, a 25-year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department, was working her regular foot-patrol duty in Union Square on Aug. 31. She has shared her account of that day’s events with multiple outlets.
Harrell suddenly heard three gunshots coming from about a block south of her. She rushed to the scene and saw a shirtless man covered in blood. The victim was San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
The team’s 2024 first-round pick, fresh off an autograph signing outside The City, was returning to his vehicle after purchasing new luggage to prepare for the 49ers’ upcoming road trip. Suddenly, a man approached him, stole his watch and shot him in the chest.
When Harrell got to Pearsall, she immediately recognized the severity of his injury. Her next actions — grabbing the 24-year-old’s shirt and pressing it against his chest to apply pressure to the wound and stem the volume of blood oozing out of him — might have saved his life.