'Last Chance U' coach John Beam dies after being shot, police say

Source: Associated Press, via ESPN

'Last Chance U' coach John Beam dies after being shot, police say

Associated Press
Nov 14, 2025, 03:36 PM ET

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Celebrated former football coach John Beam, who was featured in the Netflix series "Last Chance U" that showcased the connections he made with players others wouldn't gamble on, has died after being shot on the college campus where he worked, the Oakland Police Department said Friday.

The suspect, who police say knew and targeted Beam, 66, has been arrested.

Beam's death a day after he was shot at Laney College rattled the community with scores holding a vigil outside the hospital before he died and remembering him as someone who always tried to help anyone.

Oakland Assistant Chief James Beere said the suspect went on campus for a "specific reason" but did not elaborate on what that was. "This was a very targeted incident," he said.

Beere did not say how Beam and the suspect knew each other but said the suspect was known to loiter around the Laney campus. The suspect had played football at a high school where Beam had worked but not at the time the coach was employed there.

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Read more: https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/46967255/last-chance-u-coach-john-beam-dies-being-shot-police-say

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I saw yesterday at SFGATE that he had been shot. This was the lead story on the CBS Evening News tonight.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/suspect-arrested-john-beam-shooting-21181715.php

NEWS | BAY AREA & STATE
'Never stopped fighting': Oakland mayor remembers famed coach John Beam

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Updated Nov 14, 2025 2:46 p.m.