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NEED TO KNOW
- A suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting of John Beam, the former football coach and current athletic director at Laney College in Oakland, Calif.
- Multiple outlets have reported that the suspect has been identified as Cedric Irving Jr.
- Beam’s team at Laney was featured on the 2020 season of Netflix’s Last Chance U
Police have arrested a suspect accused of shooting former Last Chance U coach John Beam.
Beam, who was the head football coach at Laney College when the team was featured on the popular Netflix docuseries in 2020, was shot in the head on the school’s campus in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 13.
The Oakland Police Department confirmed that it had taken someone into custody in connection with the shooting on Friday, Nov. 14.
Cedric Irving Jr. was subsequently identified as the suspect, according to reports from the San Francisco Chronicle, The Press Democrat and KTVU.
The Chronicle reported that as of Thursday evening, Beam was in critical condition at the hospital.
“Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator and a lifeline for thousands of young people,” Mayor Barbara Lee said in a statement following the shooting. “For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family.”
Beam’s team at Laney College was featured on the docuseries before he retired from coaching in 2024. The show followed community college athletes attempting to persevere despite past struggles.
He still acts as the college’s athletic director and was previously the head coach at Skyline High School in Oakland before moving onto college football, according to KPIX.
Police said after the shooting that the incident was isolated and that there was no active threat, per the outlet.
“Laney College was under active lockdown as law enforcement authorities secured the campus and investigated the situation,” the Peralta Community College District said in a statement. “Oakland Police Department has confirmed there’s no longer an active threat and the campus lockdown has been lifted.”
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The Chronicle spoke to Irving’s brother, who said that his brother had played sports at Skyline High School, but several years after Beam coached there.
According to the Press Democrat, citing police, Irving allegedly told authorities he knew Beam, but that it was unclear how well he knew him.