Arrest made in shooting of John Beam, beloved former football coach featured in Netflix’s ‘Last Chance U’

Former football coach turned-athletic director John Beam was shot on Oaklands Laney College campus on Thursday.

An arrest has been made in the shooting of former football coach John Beam, Oakland Police said in a statement Friday.

No further details about the arrest were immediately available.

Beam, a beloved figure in the California Bay Area who was featured in the Netflix series “Last Chance U,” was shot Thursday on the campus of Laney College in Oakland, the college said Friday.

The shooting happened just before midday at the college’s fieldhouse, where athletic training facilities are located, according to the Peralta Community College District, which includes Laney. Beam remains the school’s athletic director after retiring as the head football coach last year.

“The Peralta community is devastated by his shooting and deeply concerned for his well-being,” said Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson in a message to employees. “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.”

Beam was admitted to Highland Hospital in Oakland in critical condition, Gilkerson said. A spokesperson for the hospital declined to give any further information Friday morning.

Beam starred in the 2020 season of the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U,” a docuseries focusing on community college athletes striving to turn their lives around.

He is revered in the Bay Area after coaching for more than four decades at both the junior college and high school levels.

Laney College was placed on lockdown after reports of a shooting, as police secured the area and launched an investigation. The campus was reopened Friday with mental health and counselling services available, the college said.

“John Beam is a renowned coach, teacher, mentor, and leader whose impact extends far beyond athletics,” said Gilkerson. “Our thoughts are with him and his family.”

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee called Beam “a giant” in the city and “a lifeline for thousands of young people” in a statement on X.

“For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family,” she added.

The incident is Oakland’s second school shooting in two days.

On Wednesday, one juvenile was shot and two were arrested at Skyline High School, police said. The juvenile who was shot was taken to the hospital and was in stable condition.

“It is devastating,” Lee added. “Schools should be the safest spaces in our city. We need guns off our streets now.”

By Laura Sharman