11/14/25 12:42:00
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11/14 12:40 CST Suspect arrested in shooting of ?Last Chance U' coach John
Beam, Oakland police say
Suspect arrested in shooting of ?Last Chance U' coach John Beam, Oakland police
say
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) --- A suspect has been arrested in the shooting of college
football coach John Beam, who was featured in the Netflix series "Last Chance
U" and remains in critical condition after being shot on campus, the Oakland
Police Department said Friday.
Few other details were available. It was the second shooting in two days at a
school in Oakland.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee described Beam as a "giant" and a mentor, educator
and lifeline for young people.
"For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our
community is shaken alongside his family," Lee said.
The Netflix docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges striving to turn
their lives around, and Beam's Laney College Eagles starred in the 2020 season.
Two of Beam's 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 Wright said in a post with a photo of Beam.
His brother shared a photo of the coach alongside a broken heart emoji.
Beam, currently serving as athletic director, joined Laney College in 2004 as a
running backs coach and became head coach in 2012, winning two league titles.
According to his biography on the college's website, 20 of his players have
gone on to the NFL.
"The Peralta community is devastated by his shooting and deeply concerned for
his well-being. We are stunned and heartbroken that such violence has touched
our campus," Mark Johnson a spokesperson for Peralta Community College District
said in an emailed statement on Beam's current medical status.
Beam's shooting came a day after a student was shot at Oakland's Skyline High
School. The student is in stable condition.
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