Cedric Irving Jr., Skyline football player arrested in shooting death of John Beam, Lane College Athletic Director in Oakland, California.
Even in death he inspired his fans… Former Laney College football coach and current athletic director John Beam died Friday a day after being shot on the school’s Oakland campus, Oakland police said.
Beam, 66, beloved Oakland football icon who was featured in the Netflix series ‘Last Chance U,’ was shot late Thursday morning at the Laney College Fieldhouse, according to the Peralta Community College District. He was rushed to a local hospital and listed in critical condition. He died at about 10 a.m. Friday, according to police.
Shooting death of Lane College Athletic Director was Targeted hit
Beam’s death comes after authorities arrested Cedric Irving Jr., 27, cops announced Friday morning, in connection with Beam’s shooting.
Authorities confirmed that the 27-year-old suspect was taken into custody early Friday morning at around 3am. Irving Jr., is said to have been in possession of a gun after being apprehended at San Leandro BART station, ABC7 News reported.
Authorities believe the suspect and the victim knew each other.
Assistant Oakland police Chief James Beere described the slaying of the Laney College Athletic Director as a targeted hit.
‘This was a very targeted incident, and I will say that Coach Beam, although they did not have a close relationship, was open to helping everybody in our community,’ Beere said during a Friday press conference.
Irving played football at Skyline High School but not when Beam was there, and he is known to ‘loiter’ on and around the Laney campus, Beere said.
‘In this case, I can just tell you that the individual that was arrested went specifically to the campus for a specific reason,’ Beere said.
The official did not elaborate on how the victim and suspect knew each other or why the Irving Jr, had come to campus on Thursday.
It remained unclear what the 27-year-old had pursued since graduating high school or whether he managed to attain any leeway as a football player after school.
Oakland football coach revered and adored and who helped realize dreams
‘We are devastated that John Beam, our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor, and friend, has passed,’ Beam’s family said in a statement read by police during a Friday afternoon news conference. ‘
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, well wishes and thoughts. At this time, we kindly ask everyone to fully respect our family’s privacy.’
Beam whose career as a successful football coach spanned over 40 years left his mark on young players on and off the field at Laney College after previously presiding as coach at Skyline High School, also in Oakland.
He joined Laney in 2004 as a running backs coach and became head coach in 2012, winning two league titles. According to his biography on the college’s website, 20 of his players have gone on to play in the NFL.
John Beam Oakland Football coach rise to national prominence
Beam rose to national prominency following the release of the 2020 Netflix documentary, ‘Last Chance U,’ which focused on athletes at junior colleges striving to turn their lives around, with Beam at the helm.
Tributes poured in for Beam after the tragic news, with Piedmont Police Chief Frederick Shavies calling him an ‘absolutely incredible human being.’
‘Our hearts are aching,’ Shavies added at Friday’s news conference.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said: ‘Coach’s Beam’s legacy isn’t measured in championships or statistics. It’s measured in the thousands of young people he believed in, mentored, and refused to abandon, including my nephew, while at Skyline High school.
‘He gave Oakland’s youth their best chance, and he never stopped fighting for them.’
Lee added: ‘Gun violence has stolen the life of a man who dedicated himself to building up the young people of this city.’
Beam is survived by his wife, two daughters and granddaughters and the legions of football players and greats he groomed along with fans at home.
