John Beam, the legendary Laney College football coach and athletic director who rose to national prominence in the Netflix series “Last Chance U,” died Friday, a day after he was shot inside the Oakland campus fieldhouse, authorities said Friday.
Beam, 66, spent more than four decades shaping Bay Area athletes and transforming Laney College into a powerhouse program that became a symbol of grit and opportunity in Oakland. He was pronounced dead around 10 a.m. Friday, officials said.
Police on Friday confirmed the arrest of Cedric Irving Jr., 27, of Oakland, who was taken into custody early in the morning at the San Leandro BART station.
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Oakland Acting Police Chief James Beere said Friday that Irving knew of Beam, but did not play football for him and that the two did not have a prior relationship.
Beere said Irving went to Laney’s campus “for a specific reason,” but stopped short of saying he went to campus to harm Beam. Prosecutors had not yet filed charges against Irving as of Friday afternoon.
- Related: John Beam, coach from ‘Last Chance U,’ shot in head at Oakland’s Laney College
- Read more: ‘Unacceptable’: Student shot, two juveniles detained at Skyline High School in Oakland
- Also: Group of Skyline students visiting Laney College endured two Oakland campus shootings in 24 hours
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee confirmed the arrest and praised law enforcement “for their swift work in making an arrest in the shooting of Coach Beam. This arrest is a testament to the effective collaboration and dedication of our law enforcement community.”
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