Oakland was shaken on Friday following the death of John Beam, the celebrated former football coach featured in Netflix\u2019s \u201cLast Chance U,\u201d who was fatally shot on the Laney College campus where he worked. Police confirmed that the 66-year-old, known for mentoring players overlooked by others, died a day after being rushed to hospital.<\/p>\n
Authorities say the suspect who knew and targeted Beam has been arrested. The individual, whose name has not been released, was taken into custody without resistance, and a firearm was recovered. Investigators said the suspect previously played football at a high school where Beam once worked, though not during the same period.<\/p>\n
Oakland Assistant Chief James Beere described the shooting as \u201cvery targeted,\u201d noting that the suspect had been seen loitering around campus before. The incident unfolded just before noon on Thursday, marking Oakland\u2019s second school-related shooting in two days.<\/p>\n
Beam\u2019s death prompted an outpouring of grief. Crowds gathered outside the hospital overnight, remembering him as a mentor who shaped lives far beyond football. His family called him a devoted husband, father, grandfather, coach and friend.<\/p>\n
Beam\u2019s influence stretched across generations. Piedmont Police Chief Fred Shavies \u2014 once one of Beam\u2019s students \u2014 said the coach stepped in after he lost his father, calling him \u201can absolutely incredible human being.\u201d NFL players Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright also posted tributes, thanking Beam for the role he played in their lives.<\/p>\n
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee described Beam as a \u201cgiant\u201d whose mentorship helped thousands of young people, including members of her own family.<\/p>\n
Beam had been part of Laney College since 2004, becoming head coach in 2012 and later serving as athletic director. His leadership helped dozens of athletes reach the NFL and brought national attention to the program through \u201cLast Chance U.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flowers and messages were placed across the Laney campus on Friday as the community struggled to understand the loss. City officials said the back-to-back school shootings underline the urgency of addressing Oakland\u2019s ongoing gun violence crisis.<\/p>\n
Beam retired from coaching in 2024 but remained dedicated to developing the college\u2019s athletic programs until his final day.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Oakland was shaken on Friday following the death of John Beam, the celebrated former football coach featured in Netflix\u2019s \u201cLast Chance U,\u201d who was fatally shot on the Laney College campus where he worked. Police confirmed that the 66-year-old, known for mentoring players overlooked by others, died a day after being rushed to hospital. Authorities<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_1160854738579181570_1160854738579181570":"","facebook_3558452337540614_100649324928663":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,239],"tags":[1985,677,2253,366,1087],"class_list":{"0":"post-14477","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-usa-canada","9":"tag-crime","10":"tag-education","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-united-states"},"yoast_head":"\n