The criminal case against the 27-year-old man accused of killing John Beam at Laney College is on hold, after a judge found him mentally unfit to stand trial, officials said.
Alameda County Judge Armando Pastran Jr.’s ruling on Friday came during the fourth mental evaluation hearing for Cedric Irving Jr., who is charged with murder after allegedly shooting Beam in the head just before noon on Nov. 13, 2025, in what police described as a targeted attack.
Beam, the longtime Laney football coach and athletic director, was shot inside his campus office and transported to Highland Hospital, where he died at 66.
A county coroner’s autopsy report obtained by the Peralta Citizen details that Beam was shot “after a brief altercation,” the student newspaper reported Friday. The autopsy also provided new details that Beam had multiple bruises and contusions, including to his chest, arms, left hand, his forehead, nose and knees.
Three doctors previously found Irving incompetent, and a doctor hired by prosecutors interviewed him last week, according to the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Irving.
Although the prosecution did not disclose that doctor’s opinion, today they dropped their opposition to having the court find Mr. Irving incompetent,” Deputy Public Defender Jeff Chourney said Friday. “At the next hearing, the court should decide which secure treatment facility is appropriate to try to restore Mr. Irving’s competency.”
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment about Friday’s hearing.
Irving is next scheduled to appear in court on May 8. If Irving is remanded to a state hospital, the goal of state officials will be to treat him so that he is fit for trial.