John Beam, a cherished football coach whose mentorship and care touched the lives of 1000’s of individuals, has died after being shot Thursday on an Oakland school campus — a devastating loss for a California group nonetheless reeling from one other act of college gun violence simply days earlier.
The revered Bay Area football determine featured in Netflix documentary sequence “Last Chance U” was rushed to Highland Hospital in important situation Thursday however died Friday morning, Oakland police murder commander Lt. Gloria Beltran introduced at a information convention.
Police recognized the suspect as 27-year-old Cedric Irving, Beltran mentioned. The suspect was acquainted with Beam however didn’t have a detailed relationship with him, in response to Oakland Assistant Chief of Police James Beere.
For many, the information felt unthinkable.
Piedmont Police Chief Frederick Shavies described Beam as a “father figure to thousands of not only men but young women,” somebody who left an “indelible” imprint on Oakland and much past.
Hundreds gathered for a vigil Thursday night time, holding candles and hope as Beam fought for his life — the identical manner he had spent a long time instructing younger folks to struggle for their very own, Shavies mentioned.
“Our hearts are aching,” Shavies mentioned, reflecting on the person he had recognized since eighth grade — the person who stepped in with help after Shavies’ father died.
Beam’s household mentioned in an announcement learn by police: “We are devastated that John — our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor and friend — has passed. 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 and ask for privacy during this time.”
Meanwhile, questions stay about what authorities described as a “very targeted incident,” because the suspect awaits formal expenses. The case can be referred to the district lawyer’s workplace for evaluation.
On Thursday at 11:53 a.m., Oakland Police officers responded to Laney College and located Beam affected by gunshot wounds, Beltran mentioned.
Beam had been at the school’s fieldhouse, which homes the athletic coaching services, the place he continued serving as athletic director after retiring as head football coach final yr. He was rushed to a close-by hospital and listed in important situation.
Officials obtained photographs of the suspect, who was later noticed at the San Leandro Bay Area Rapid Transit station. He was taken into custody and gave an announcement to police relating to the shooting, Beltran mentioned.
“The ability to actually track the suspect after he left Laney College was a diligent effort and an amazing, heavy lift to go through hundreds of hours of surveillance footage so we could track that individual,” Beere, Oakland’s assistant chief of police, mentioned.
The suspect performed football at Skyline High School in Oakland, however not whereas Beam was employed there, authorities mentioned. Although Irving was not a scholar at Laney College, he was typically seen loitering on campus, Beere added.
“Coach Beam, although (he and the suspect) did not have a close relationship, was open to helping everybody in our community, and this is not uncommon for him to have a relationship with someone that he would think needs help,” Beere mentioned.
Officials mentioned Irving was on campus for a particular goal, although they didn’t specify what that was. While authorities described the encounter as focused, Beere confirmed it was not related to a theft.
Beam’s influence on the sport stretched throughout greater than 4 a long time. He started teaching in Oakland in 1982 as Skyline High School’s defensive coordinator earlier than becoming a member of Laney College in 2004 because the working backs coach, later changing into offensive coordinator and ultimately head coach in 2012. Under his management, Laney gained two league titles.
His affect reached far past the sidelines. More than 20 of Beam’s former gamers went on to the NFL, together with seven who performed in the Super Bowl, in response to his biography on the college’s website.
His look in the 2020 season of “Last Chance U” launched his tough-love mentorship model to a nationwide viewers and cemented his standing as a champion for younger athletes searching for a second probability.
NCS has reached out to Netflix for remark.
To the Bay Area, Beam was greater than a coach. He was a builder of individuals, a gradual presence, a believer in potential.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee mirrored on the profound influence Beam had on the group, calling his legacy one “we all have to lift up, given the way he mentored young people, people who never would have had a chance.”
Beam coached the mayor’s nephew when he attended Skyline High School, she mentioned, calling Beam “a phenomenal human being.” His affect transcended the football discipline, she added; he was a mentor, a good friend, and a supply of steerage for college kids, athletes and group members from all walks of life.
The mayor described town’s grief, noting the outpouring of help from folks throughout Oakland because the group struggles with the loss.
“He was friends with everyone and encouraged everyone. He never thought anyone was a lost cause,” Lee instructed NCS on Friday. “People feel the void already and are grieving this loss like you would not believe.”
Athletes throughout the nation took to social media to mourn Beam, sharing photographs and recollections that seize the gorgeous influence he had on their lives. Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright posted a group photo with Beam, writing merely, “Will forever miss you dawg.” New Orleans Saints cornerback Rejzohn Wright shared a heartfelt homage, captioning a cheerful photograph of a trio posing with Beam, “Crushed.”
“I pray my prayers strong enough,” Wright wrote over a memorial video montage of Beam guiding and provoking his athletes.
Both athletes shared a video from April 2023, taken days earlier than the NFL draft, exhibiting Beam at football apply. Wearing his signature sun shades and mustache, he jokes with the gamers whereas providing steerage — a fleeting, tender glimpse of the heat, humor, and care that made him far more than a coach.
Closing his remarks through the information convention, Shavies mentioned, “I know that if Coach were here, he’d finish by saying, ‘Two claps — ready, ready.’”
Laney College was placed on lockdown Thursday after reviews of a shooting, as police secured the world and launched an investigation. The campus reopened Friday with psychological well being and counseling companies accessible, the school mentioned.
“The Peralta community is devastated by his shooting,” Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson mentioned in a message to staff. “We are stunned and heartbroken that such violence has touched our campus and one of the most respected and beloved members of our Laney, Peralta, and Oakland community.”
Gilkerson described Beam as “a renowned coach, teacher, mentor, and leader whose impact extends far beyond athletics.”
In an earlier assertion, Lee condemned the killing, saying gun violence has “stolen” one other life and warning that town can not permit firearms to proceed flooding its streets and destroying the very folks “who are trying to save our community.”
“Coach’s Beam’s legacy isn’t measured in championships or statistics,” Lee mentioned in the assertion Friday. “It’s measured in the thousands of young people he believed in, mentored, and refused to abandon … He gave Oakland’s youth their best chance, and he never stopped fighting for them.”
The incident is Oakland’s second faculty shooting in two days.
On Wednesday, one juvenile was shot and two have been arrested at Skyline High School, police said. The juvenile who was shot was taken to the hospital and was in steady situation.
“It is devastating,” Lee added. “Schools should be the safest spaces in our city. We need guns off our streets now.”
This story has been up to date with further info.