A Netflix star has been shot dead on a college campus. John Beam, who first found fame as a football coach before starring on Last Chance U, was 66 when he was killed.
He was hit by a bullet while at the fieldhouse at Laney College in Oakland, CA, on Thursday. He was reportedly shot in the head and rushed to hospital. Beam’s family said in a statement that he was a “loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor and friend.”
“Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love,” the family said, requesting privacy. Sadly, John died on Friday morning at around 10am, police officials have confirmed. Police have confirmed it was a targeted attack. Police have credited technology, including cameras at the college, as well as those on private residences and public transport, for helping to identify the suspect.
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Cedric Irving, 27, was arrested at a commuter rail station in Oakland on Friday morning at around 3am and police recovered the firearm. He was being held at a local jail on charges of murder and carrying a concealed weapon, according to Alameda County’s inmate locator. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday morning. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
The suspect’s brother, Samuael Irving, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he was stunned to learn of the arrest and that his brother excelled academically and athletically in high school, where he ran track and played football.
Samuael said Cedric grew distant from the family in recent years after an argument with their father. Irving recently lost his job as a security guard after an altercation, his brother said, and then was evicted from his apartment.
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“I hope it isn’t him,” Samuael Irving said. He added: “The Cedric I knew wasn’t capable of murder — but the way things had been going, I honestly don’t know.”
Assistant Chief James Beere said on Friday that the suspect was on the campus for a “specific reason,” but didn’t disclose what this reason was. He added: “This was a very targeted incident.”
Beere didn’t say how John and the suspect knew one another, but said that the suspect had been known for hanging around the Laney campus. He had played football at a high school where John had worked at, but not while John was working there
Mayor Barbara Lee described Beam as a “giant” in the city who mentored thousands of young people, including her own nephew, and “gave Oakland’s youth their best chance” at success. “For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family,” she said.
Beam, who was serving as athletic director, joined Laney College in 2004 as a running backs coach and became head coach in 2012, winning two league titles. He retired from coaching in 2024 but stayed on at the school to shape its athletic programs. According to his biography on the college’s website, at least 20 of his players went on to the NFL.
Beam’s shooting came a day after a student was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student is in stable condition. Beam had previously worked at Skyline High School, and the suspect had played football there after Beam had already left for another job. The mayor said the back-to-back shootings on Oakland campuses demonstrate “the gun violence crisis playing out in real time.” She gave no indication that they were connected.
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Source: Mirror
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