Former ‘Last Chance U’ coach John Beam dies after campus shooting

Lead

John Beam, 66, the longtime Laney College coach who appeared in Netflix’s Last Chance U, died Friday, a day after being shot on the Oakland campus where he served as athletic director. The shooting occurred Thursday before noon; police arrested a 27-year-old suspect, who authorities say knew Beam and carried out a targeted attack. A vigil was held outside the hospital as the city grappled with the loss. Beam was widely remembered for mentoring generations of students and helping players others had written off.

Key takeaways

• John Beam, 66, died Friday after being shot on Laney College’s campus on Thursday before noon.
• Police arrested 27-year-old Cedric Irving Jr. early Friday at a commuter rail station; authorities recovered a firearm and say the attack was targeted.
• The suspect faces murder and concealed-weapon charges and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday morning, according to Alameda County records.
• Beam joined Laney College in 2004, became head coach in 2012, retired from coaching in 2024, and served as athletic director; at least 20 of his players advanced to the NFL.
• Two former Laney players, Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright, currently in the NFL, posted remembrances on social media after the shooting.
• Mayor Barbara Lee called Beam a “giant” who mentored thousands, saying the back-to-back campus shootings in Oakland reflect a wider gun-violence crisis.
• Surveillance footage from campus cameras, private homes and public transit helped police track and arrest the suspect without incident.

Background

John Beam built a reputation over four decades as a high-school and junior-college coach who took chances on players with troubled or overlooked pasts. He led Laney College to sustained success on the field, including league titles and a state championship run, and his program became a pipeline to Division I schools and the NFL. The Netflix docuseries Last Chance U brought national attention to Laney and to Beam’s coaching style, highlighting his hands-on mentorship and the program’s role in changing players’ trajectories.

Laney College, a community college in Oakland, serves a diverse urban student body and has long been central to local athletics and youth development. Beam’s role extended beyond game plans: administrators, colleagues and local officials say he was a mentor, recruiter and community figure. The shooting comes amid a period of heightened concern about gun violence in Oakland schools; police noted this was the second school shooting in the city in two days, though officials gave no indication the incidents were linked.

Main event

The shooting occurred on Thursday before noon on the college campus where Beam worked. Officers who responded found Beam wounded and transported him to a hospital, where he died the following day. Oakland Assistant Chief James Beere described the incident as “very targeted,” saying the suspect had come on campus for a specific reason, though he did not release motive details or the precise nature of the prior relationship.

Police identified the suspect as 27-year-old Cedric Irving Jr. and said that surveillance footage from campus cameras, private residences and public transit helped investigators locate and arrest him. Irving was taken into custody without incident just after 3 a.m. Friday at an Oakland commuter rail station; officers recovered a gun at the time of arrest. Alameda County inmate records show he was booked on charges of murder and carrying a concealed weapon.

A vigil formed outside the hospital and on campus as students, former players and neighbors gathered to mourn. Family statements described Beam as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, coach and mentor; they asked for privacy as the family grieved. Officials confirmed the suspect was known to loiter around the Laney campus and that he had played football at a high school where Beam previously worked, though not while Beam was employed there.

Analysis & implications

The killing of a prominent community coach raises immediate questions about campus safety at community colleges, which often function as open campuses with limited perimeter security. Administrators and public-safety officials will likely face pressure to assess camera coverage, access controls and coordination with local law enforcement even as they balance the colleges’ mission of openness and accessibility. Surveillance footage played a role in the arrest, underscoring the growing reliance on camera systems for rapid response and suspect identification.

Legally, the case moves quickly into a criminal process that will focus on motive, the suspect’s state of mind and any prior interactions between Beam and the alleged shooter. Prosecutors must establish intent and link the suspect to the weapon; defense considerations and pretrial disclosures will shape the timeline to arraignment and subsequent hearings. The arrest does not equate to proof of guilt, and Alameda County’s court proceedings will determine charges and potential penalties.

For the Laney community and for junior-college football programs nationally, Beam’s death could have a chilling effect on recruitment and on the willingness of veteran coaches to work in urban settings without enhanced protections. It also amplifies calls from civic leaders for broader interventions to reduce gun violence—ranging from mental-health services and community programs to enforcement strategies aimed at removing illegal guns from streets.

Comparison & data

These two incidents—on consecutive days at Oakland educational institutions—heighten local concerns about school and campus safety. While Beam’s case involves a targeted attack according to police, the proximity in time of the Skyline student shooting has prompted officials to reiterate preventive measures and community outreach. Data on school shootings remain regionally concentrated and highly variable by year, and officials cautioned against drawing broad statistical conclusions from two incidents alone.

Reactions & quotes

City and community leaders emphasized Beam’s long-standing role mentoring youth and athletes.

“He gave Oakland’s youth their best chance,”

Mayor Barbara Lee (city official)

Local law-enforcement and former colleagues recalled Beam’s influence and described the case as a targeted act that investigators are probing.

“John was so much more than a coach,”

Piedmont Police Chief Fred Shavies (law enforcement)

Beam’s family issued a statement underscoring his roles in private life and asking for space to grieve while they acknowledged the outpouring of community support.

“Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love,”

Beam family statement (family)

Unconfirmed

• The precise motive for the shooting has not been released; police have described the attack as targeted but declined to elaborate.
• The full nature of the relationship between Beam and the suspect remains under investigation and has not been publicly detailed.
• Whether recent job loss or eviction reported by the suspect’s family played a direct role in the incident has not been confirmed by investigators.

Bottom line

John Beam’s death marks the loss of a widely respected coach and community mentor whose work at Laney College changed many young lives and drew national attention through documentary coverage. The rapid arrest of a suspect relied on surveillance and interagency coordination, but many questions about motive and context remain pending as the criminal process unfolds.

Beyond legal outcomes, the shooting is likely to prompt renewed debate in Oakland over campus security, resource allocation for community colleges, and broader strategies to prevent gun violence. For players, students and residents who knew Beam, the immediate need is community support and transparent updates from investigators as they seek to establish what led to a targeted attack on campus.

Sources

• Associated Press (news report)
• Peralta Community College District (official college district site / photo caption)
• San Francisco Chronicle (local news reporting)
• Alameda County (official government / inmate locator)
• Netflix — Last Chance U (documentary series)