Oakland Coach Featured in ‘Last Chance U’ Shot on Campus, Suspect in Custody
Oakland, CA – Laney College football coach John Beam, who gained national recognition for his appearance in the Netflix docuseries Last Chance U, was shot on campus Thursday and later died, authorities confirmed. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting.
The shooting occurred at Laney College in Oakland, just one day after a separate incident at Skyline High School left one student injured. This marks the second school shooting in Oakland within 48 hours.
police arrested the suspect overnight at a local bus stop, finding him in posession of a firearm. acting Police Chief James Beere stated the suspect was known to frequent the college but was not a student and “did not have a relationship” with Beam, despite the coach’s willingness to help members of the community. beere declined to disclose the suspect’s motive, stating he went to campus for a “specific reason.”
Beam, 40, coached at Laney College for several years and previously spent 16 years at Skyline High School. He was the subject of significant focus in the fifth season of Last Chance U, which aired in 2020, documenting the Laney Eagles football team and the surrounding Oakland community. The series highlighted both the team’s athletic pursuits and the socioeconomics of a rapidly changing city.
Hundreds gathered at a vigil outside the hospital were Beam was being treated Thursday night. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee described Beam as a “giant in Oakland – a mentor, an educator and a lifeline for thousands of young people,” adding that the community is “shaken alongside his family.”
Former players also expressed their grief. Rejzohn Wright of the New Orleans Saints and Nahshon Wright of the Chicago Bears both posted tributes to Beam on social media.
Notably, a group of students from Skyline high School, who had been under lockdown during Wednesday’s shooting, were visiting Laney College on Thursday and were again forced to shelter in place due to the gunfire. The suspect in Beam’s shooting had previously attended Skyline High, but not during Beam’s tenure there.
