OAKLAND, Calif. – Oakland police have arrested a suspect following the shooting of legendary Laney College football coach, John Beam.
Laney College shooting
The arrest was announced Friday, a day after Beam, 66, was shot before noon in the 900 block of Fallon Street, near the Laney Fieldhouse. That building is adjacent to the college’s football field and houses the school’s athletic facilities and resources, where Beam worked.
Police shared on social media that more information would be released, but they did not say when.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Oakland Police Department Assistant Chief James Beere said the suspect fled the scene wearing dark-colored clothing.
Any motive for the shooting has not been disclosed.
“I’m grateful to the Oakland Police Department and our dedicated law enforcement partners for their swift work in making an arrest in the shooting of Coach Beam,” Mayor Barbara Lee said in a statement. “This arrest is a testament to the effective collaboration and dedication of our law enforcement community.”
Second-chance coach
Laney College head football coach John Beam.
Beam – who gained fame for the Laney College Eagles football team in 2020 on the Netflix show, “Last Chance U” – was rushed to Highland Hospital where family, friends and football players gathered late Thursday night, though no one wanted to speak.
All of his supporters described Beam as a legendary coach who gave people second chances. He had retired from Laney as head football coach in 2024, and was hired back as the community college’s athletic director.
Former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong worked closely with Beam. In an interview on Thursday, Armstrong said the two helped transition a handful of Beam’s students at Laney into the police force.
“We had a long-standing relationship with him at the Oakland Police Department to become Oakland police officers,” Armstrong said.
Sean Bullard got emotional talking about his friend on Thursday night. He first met Beam when he was a sophomore at Skyline High School and Beam was the football coach. He’s known him for decades and considers Beam his family.
“He’s an uncle-dad-best-friend all wrapped in one,” Bullard said.
He said that Beam was the one who “unlocked” the world of sports for him, sometimes picking him up at 7 a.m. to lift weights before school and made sure his classes were in order so he could spend time on the field.
“Our only purpose as parents and coaches is to make the next generation better,” he said as tears filled his eyes. “And he’s done it over and over and over again.”
Loved ones of Laney College Athletic Director and former head football coach John Beam stand outside Highland Hospital in Oakland after he was shot. Nov. 13, 2025
Skyline High coach in the 1980s
Beam’s career has spanned decades of success and community impact.
He began his coaching career in San Diego before coming to the Bay Area.
He started coaching at Skyline High School in the ’80s, where he won 15 league championships and four undefeated seasons.
In an unrelated shooting, a student at Skyline was shot the day before Beam was. Two teenagers were later taken into custody.
Beam later brought his talents to Laney College, where he added to his legacy and helped build one of the most respected junior college football programs in the nation.
Between his time at Laney and Skyline, Beam produced more than 20 NFL players, including seven Super Bowl participants. His former players have gone on to win championships at every level of football — from NCAA Division I and III to the Canadian Grey Cup, NFL Europe, and Arena League titles.
Beam’s success and mentorship earned national attention when Netflix featured Laney College in its “Last Chance U” series in 2020.
Crime scene tape surrounded the athletic field at Laney College where a man had been shot. Nov. 13, 2025
In a previous interview with KTVU upon his coaching retirement from Laney last year, Beam said his coaching philosophy centered on honesty, consistency, and helping athletes succeed in life, not just in sports.
“It was always about teaching young men and young women, student-athletes, how to fit into society and do certain things like be true to your word,” Beam said at the time.
OaklandCollege Football
