John Beam, 66, was shot at the Laney College Fieldhouse in Oakland around noon on Thursday, November 13, 2025, when a campus lockdown followed as police responded. Officers found Beam with critical injuries; he was taken to Highland Hospital and died of his wound the next morning on November 14, 2025. The community remembered him as a long‑time coach and college athletics director who had appeared on the Netflix series Last Chance U and had coached for 45 years.

Police identified 27‑year‑old Cedric Irving Jr. as a suspect and arrested him in the early hours of Friday, November 14, at the San Leandro BART station; officers said he was armed when taken into custody. Authorities described the shooting as a very targeted incident and said Beam and Irving were acquainted, though not close. Surveillance from the college, public transit and private residences contributed to the arrest. The motive has not been released; police said the suspect came to campus for a specific reason.

Beam had publicly raised concerns about fieldhouse thefts and urged reinstating armed security guards the day before he was shot. If anyone knew Beam, Irving, or saw activity around Laney College on November 13, please share information with investigators.