‘Last Chance U’ Coach John Beam Dies After Sustaining Gunshot Wound at Laney Campus Shooting

Athletic director John Beam, who was featured on Season 5 of the Netflix docuseries Last Chance U, has died after being shot on Thursday, November 13, on the campus of Laney College in Oakland.

Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell announced the coach’s death on Friday, November 14. “Unfortunately, Coach Beam has passed away this morning from a gunshot wound he sustained yesterday. I know that Coach Beam meant a lot to the Oakland community and beyond.”

COMMUNITY TRAGEDY: Retired football coach John Beam, known widely from the Netflix show “Last Chance U,” died after being shot on the campus of Laney College on Thursday, Oakland Police announced. pic.twitter.com/7yk9XUhaQE

— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 14, 2025

“The Peralta community is devastated by his shooting,” 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.”

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Oakland mayor Barbara Lee wrote: “Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland – a mentor, an educator, and a lifeline for thousands of young people. For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family.”

My deepest condolences go out to Coach John Beam’s family and loved ones. They ask for privacy at this time.

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,… pic.twitter.com/j1nA52xnaY

— Barbara Lee (@BarbaraLee_CA) November 14, 2025

The Netflix docuseries followed athletes at junior colleges as they fought their way toward redemption, and Beam’s Laney College Eagles were the focus of the 2020 season, with Beam portrayed as a competitive yet compassionate leader dedicated to lifting his players up.

Oakland police homicide unit commander Lt. Gloria Beltran told the press that police identified the suspect in Thursday’s shooting as 27-year-old Cedric Irving. Irving was a former Skyline High School student and football player, where Beam taught for over two decades before moving to Laney College. He did not attend while Beam was the coach at the high school.

Charges are still pending, police said.