Chilling particulars about mysterious gunman who shot useless Netflix star soccer coach
Police have revealed that the suspect who allegedly shot and killed legendary football coach John Beam knew and specifically targeted the 66-year-old Netflix star.
Beam, who starred in Netflix‘s college football docuseries ‘Last Chance U’ in 2020, is believed to have been shot in the head at Laney College’s campus, where he was working as the school’s athletic director, on Thursday.
He was rushed to hospital immediately but he later succumbed to his injuries. Police took a suspect, 27-year-old Cedric Irving Jr., into custody early Friday morning.
Oakland Assistant Chief James Beere has revealed the suspect was known to loiter around Laney’s campus.
He added that the suspect was on campus for a ‘specific reason’ but did not elaborate further. ‘This was a very targeted incident,’ he said.
The suspect also played football at a high school where Beam had worked but not at the time the coach was employed there.
Legendary coach John Beam (pictured with wife Cindi) died at the age of 66 after being shot
Beam was shot while on campus at Laney College, where he worked as the athletic director and starred in the 2020 Netflix series ‘Last Chance U’ (pictured)
He was rushed to hospital in critical condition, before police took a suspect into custody Friday
The suspect was taken into custody without any altercation and a gun has been recovered, the assistant chief added. Charges are still pending.
Beam, who is survived by wife Cindi, two daughters and two granddaughters, was a much-loved member of the college sports world after spending over 40 years as a successful football coach.
The family said in a statement that he was a ‘loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor and friend.’
He began his coaching career as an offensive line coach at Serra High School in San Diego, helping them reach the playoffs for the first time in school history.
After moving Oakland, Beam joined Skyline High School as a defensive coordinator in 1982, before being promoted to head coach five years later.
He enjoyed his most successful period at Skyline after winning 15 championships and overseeing four undefeated seasons.
Beam initially joined Laney College as a running backs coach in 2004 and 2005 and was later promoted to offensive coordinator. In that role, he led an explosive offense to three conference championships and five straight bowl game appearances.
In 2012 the esteemed figure stepped up to become head coach, before guiding the team to two league titles and four bowl games.
Beam passed away in hospital at around 10am on Friday, it has been announced by authorities
The Laney College icon spent over 40 years as a successful football coach for various schools
The Netflix docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges striving to turn their lives around. Beam gambled on players nobody else wanted and developed deep relationships with them while fielding a team that regularly competed for titles.
It is believed the shooting took place at the field house on campus at East 8th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Officers initially responded to the incident as if it there was an active shooter – with the college placed on lockdown – before they later determined that was not the case.
Authorities confirmed that a 27-year-old suspect was taken into custody early Friday morning at around 3am after being apprehended at San Leandro BART station.
They credited technology, specifically cameras at the college campus, private residences and on public transit, with helping arrest the suspect, who was not named.
Beam’s shooting came a day after a student, who is in stable condition, was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The suspect who allegedly shot Beam played football there after Beam had already left for another job.
Tributes have 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.
Beam with daughters Sonjha and Monica. He also had granddaughters Lola and Nori
Beam gambled on players nobody wanted and developed relationships with them in the show
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.’
One high-profile player Beam coached at Laney College was CJ Anderson, who went on to carve out a memorable NFL career for himself after playing under him in 2009.
The former Broncos running back, who won a Super Bowl in Denver, took to social media earlier on Friday to urge his old coach to ‘keep fighting’.
Anderson posted: ‘Keep fighting. Keep praying Jesus is King always put your hands on Beam please!!!!’
Two of Beam’s other former players – brothers Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright, now in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints – posted on social media after the shooting.
‘You mean the world to me,’ Rejzohn said in a post with a photo of Beam. His brother shared a photo of the coach alongside a broken heart emoji.
