A suspect has been arrested in connection with Thursday’s shooting of “Last Chance U” star John Beam.
The 66-year-old Laney College veteran athletic director — who retired as the school’s football coach in 2024 — was shot on the Oakland, Calif. campus shortly before noon, acting Oakland Police Chief James Beere said at a press conference.
Sources told the Bay Area’s ABC affiliate that Beam was shot in the head and remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Oakland Police confirmed Friday morning an arrest had been made in connection with the shooting, but offered no other information at the time. It’s unclear if the suspect has direct ties to the school, Coach Beam or the football program.
“We’re committed to keeping our community informed and will have more details later today,” police said in a follow-up post on social media.
The Peralta Community College District first shared in a news release Thursday that “a senior member of our athletic staff was shot on campus in the Laney Field House” at around noon local time, putting the campus on active lockdown.
“The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority, and we are working closely with police and emergency personnel to ensure the campus remains protected,” the statement continued.
The lockdown was lifted at around 1:15 p.m., with authorities later confirming it was not an active shooter situation and that only one person had been shot.
The school shooting marked the second in Oakland in roughly 24 hours, after a juvenile student was shot at around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Skyline High School. Police previously said the student was in stable condition, and that two other juveniles were arrested in connection with the incident.
“The last two days have been incredibly heavy for our city,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee wrote on social media as she called to get “guns off our streets now.”
Lee said her “thoughts are with Coach John Beam and his loved ones. We are praying for him.”
The mayor referred to Beam as “a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator, and a lifeline for thousands of young people,” who has “shaped leaders on and off the field” for more than 40 years.
Beam has served as the Laney Eagles’ athletic director since 2006, after first joining the school’s football teach as a running back coach. He became head coach in 2012 and went on to win two league titles.
According to his bio on the college’s website, more than 20 of his players have gone on to the NFL.
He and his Eagles also starred in the Netflix hit “Last Chance U” during its 2020 season. The docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges striving to turn their lives around.
