More information is emerging regarding the early morning shooting of San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Keion White on Feb. 9.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, officers responded to a business located on the 1700 block of Mission Street in San Francisco regarding a shooting. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.
It was later revealed it was White who suffered a gunshot wound to his ankle.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and transported White to a local hospital for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. White underwent surgery on Monday and USA TODAY Sports received a statement from the 49ers about the procedure.
“Keion underwent successful surgery (Monday),” the 49ers said in a statement.
A preliminary investigation revealed a verbal altercation occurred between two groups inside a business, per the San Francisco Police Department.
Jonah Owen Lamb of the San Francisco Standard reported that the altercation involved White and Grammy-award winning rapper Lil Baby, who’s real name is Dominique Jones, when the rapper and his entourage tried to enter White’s private event. Lamb noted a witness went upstairs to get assistance from management to deescalate the situation and heard two gun shots. When they returned downstairs, White had been shot in the left leg.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, the shots were fired by an unknown suspect and the preliminary investigation is still ongoing.
White is the second 49ers player to be shot in recent years. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in August of 2024 in an attempted robbery. Fortunately, Pearsall returned to the playing field. The 49ers didn’t provide a timetable for White to return to play.
The 49ers acquired White in a trade with the New England Patriots in October 2025. He had 12 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss in nine regular-season games with San Francisco.
