A shooting at Laney College today left the school’s athletic program director and legendary football coach John Beam seriously wounded.

Laney classes were canceled as dozens of police officers arrived on the scene at midday. The suspect is still at large, according to the Oakland Police Department. Officials with the Peralta Community College District said Beam was brought to Highland Hospital, where he is in critical condition.

“The Peralta community is devastated by his shooting and deeply concerned for his well-being,” Peralta spokesperson Mark Johnson said in a statement. “We are stunned and heartbroken that such violence has touched our campus and one of the most beloved members of our Laney, Peralta, and Oakland community.

“John Beam is a renowned coach, teacher, mentor, and leader whose impact extends far beyond athletics,” Johnson continued. “Our thoughts are with him and his family.”

According to OPD, the shooting took place just before noon on the Oakland community college campus. The suspected shooter fled on foot and has not been located. The police identified the suspect as a man wearing a black hooded sweater.

OPD officers responded to the campus as if it were an active shooting and secured the school grounds. The FBI also responded to the campus, and a spokesperson for the bureau told The Oaklandside that the agency is  prepared to offer assistance to OPD.

Several violence interruptors working with Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention also showed up at the school to try to defuse any tensions. The college will be open tomorrow. District officials said there will be mental health and counseling services available to all students, athletes, and employees.

According to an email from the Oakland Unified School District, students from 10 high schools were on a “college and career exploration” field trip at Laney at the time of the shooting and subsequent lockdown.

“As soon as they learned of the lockdown, OUSD chaperones moved our students to a safe location where they sheltered in place,” the email read. “The lockdown lasted about 45 minutes before Oakland Police gave the all-clear.”

Oakland Acting Police Chief James Beere speaks to the media at Laney College on Nov. 13, 2025. Credit: Roselyn Romero/The Oaklandside

Students from Skyline High School were among those present for the Laney lockdown, according to the district. The shooting comes the day after a student was shot at Skyline, putting the high school into lockdown. According to police, the student was wounded and treated at a hospital but the injuries were not life-threatening. Two students were arrested, and two guns were seized.

Beam was the football coach at Skyline High School for several years, starting in 1982. During his tenure as head coach, starting in 1987, the team won 15 league championships and went undefeated in league play for the entire decade of the 1990s. He became head football coach at Laney in 2012, and in that role led the team to two league titles.

Beam and his Laney College football team were featured in the fifth season of Netflix’s “Last Chance U,” a documentary about the Eagles’ struggles and successes during their 2019 season.

Police secured Laney’s athletics facilities, where the shooting took place, on Nov. 13, 2025. Credit: Roselyn Romero/The Oaklandside

Mayor Barbara Lee issued the following statement: “I am heartbroken by today’s shooting at Laney College – the second shooting on an Oakland campus in one week. OPD is investigating this incident. We must continue confronting the ongoing gun violence crisis that is robbing our community of safety and stealing futures. This is a moment for our community to come together and address this violence with urgency.”

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