John Beam, Football Coach Featured on Netflix’s ‘Last Chance U,’ Dies After Shooting on Oakland Campus

A suspect was taken into custody following the Nov. 13 shooting at the Laney College Fieldhouse.

Coach John Beam during football practice at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., on Oct. 5, 2000. Kendra Luck/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

Former Laney College football coach John Beam has died at the age of 66 after being shot on the Oakland, California, campus on Nov. 13, local authorities have confirmed.

The Oakland Police Department (OPD) said in a press conference on Friday that Beam was shot at the Laney College Fieldhouse just before noon on Thursday.

“When [officers] arrived, they located coach John Beam suffering from gunshot wounds,” Gloria Beltran, commander of the OPD’s homicide unit, told reporters. “He was transported to a local area hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.”

Beam, who appeared on the fifth season of Netflix’s docuseries “Last Chance U” in 2020, was later pronounced dead at approximately 10 a.m. on Friday.

The suspect, 27-year-old Cedric Irving, was taken into custody hours earlier, at around 3 a.m., Beltran said.

The investigation remains ongoing, and the case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office for charging.

In a statement read during the news conference, Beam’s family expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support they’ve received.

“We are devastated that John Beam, our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor, and friend, has passed,” his family said.

“Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love and support from all who cared about him. We are deeply grateful for your continued prayers, well wishes, and thoughts. At this time, we kindly ask everyone to fully respect our family’s privacy.”

Police work the scene after a shooting at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 13, 2025. Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

Laney College was briefly placed on lockdown following the shooting, and the campus was closed for the remainder of the day, the Peralta Community College District noted online.

Beam coached football for 45 years, serving as the head coach at Oakland’s Skyline High School since the 1980s before joining Laney College in 2004. Following his retirement last year, he worked solely as the community college’s athletics director, a position he had held since 2006.

The shooting sent shockwaves through the Oakland community and beyond.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee described the former coach as a “giant” in the city and a “lifeline for thousands of young people.”

“For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family,” Lee wrote on X on Nov. 13.

“This is the second shooting on an Oakland campus in two days, and it is devastating. ... We are standing together, praying for Coach Beam and his loved ones.”

Law enforcement works the scene after a shooting at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 13, 2025. Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas called Beam “an Oakland treasure,” adding, “Our hearts and healing prayers are with Coach John Beam and his family.”

Many of Beam’s friends, colleagues, and former players also reacted to the news online.

Rejzohn Wright—a cornerback for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints who previously played at Laney College before transferring to Oregon State University—said Beam meant “the world” to him.

“This is sad. He gave his whole life to the city of Oakland [and] poured all his love into young men,” Joshua Calbert, an assistant basketball coach at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, said on X.

“All my friends that played football at Laney respected this guy so much.”