John Beam, the Laney College athletic director and former football coach who was featured in Netflix’s “Last Chance U,” died Friday morning after being shot on campus Thursday, authorities said. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting, the Oakland Police Department said Friday.
“This was a very targeted incident,” assistant chief James Beere said. “In this case, I can just tell you that the individual that was arrested went specifically to the campus for a specific reason.”
Beere said the suspect and Beam knew each other but did not have a close relationship. The suspect was not a Laney student and was known to loiter around the campus, per Beere. The suspect had played football at Skyline High School in Oakland, but not during Beam’s tenure there. Investigators have not discussed a motive and charges had not yet been filed as of Friday afternoon.
“We are devastated that John Beam our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor and friend has passed,” his family said in a statement. “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.”
The incident, the second school-related shooting in Oakland in as many days, occurred just before noon Thursday at the college’s fieldhouse. Officers found Beam suffering from gunshot wounds, and he was taken to a hospital. The college was placed on lockdown shortly afterward.
“My thoughts are with coach John Beam and his loved ones,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee shared in a statement. “We are praying for him. Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator 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.”
Beam, 66, became a nationally recognized figure after “Last Chance U” chronicled Laney’s 2019 season. Before retiring as coach in 2024 and moving into the athletic director position, he led the program to two league championships and a 2018 state title, a season in which Laney finished 11-2 and was ranked the top community college team in the country. He also maintained a 90% graduation and transfer rate for his players, according to CBS News.
Beam’s legacy in Oakland extends to Skyline High School, where he coached for 16 years and won 11 section and 15 league championships before joining Laney. The shooting involving Beam unfolded a day after a Skyline High School student was injured in gunfire on that campus.
Beere told reporters the incident involving Beam appeared to be isolated and not related to the previous shooting.
“This is the second shooting on an Oakland campus in two days, and it is devastating,” Lee said in the statement. “Schools should be the safest spaces in our city. We need guns off our streets now. We are standing together, praying for coach Beam and his loved ones.”