(KRON) — The victim in a Thursday shooting at a California college was the popular football coach featured in the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U,” sources confirmed to Nexstar’s KRON.
John Beam, 66, the athletic director at Laney College in Oakland, was confirmed to have been shot near the college’s football field around noon Thursday. Beam was rushed to a hospital and his condition is unknown at this time.
Beam was featured in the Netflix show “Last Chance U,” a series that followed student athletes as they tried to make it from community college to Division 1 schools. The show’s fifth season followed players at Laney College in 2019.
Beam was the head football coach for 45 years — between Skyline High School and Laney College — before stepping down from the Laney role in 2024. He has held the position of Laney’s athletic director since 2006.
Described as “the godfather of football in Oakland,” Beam has coached more than 100 players who have moved on to play NCAA Division 1 football. More than 20 of them have made it to the NFL. Notable alums of Beam’s programs include Super Bowl 50 champion running back C.J. Anderson (who played at Laney) and two-time Super Bowl champion offensive lineman Marvel Smith (who played under Beam at Skyline).
The Oakland Police Department said Thursday’s shooting was reported just before noon on the Laney campus.
Police are asking for help in locating a suspect who has been described as a male wearing all dark clothing and wearing a black hoodie who fled the scene.
Laney College was on lockdown as law enforcement authorities searched the campus and investigated. The lockdown was later lifted, but campus remained closed for the rest of the day.
“The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our highest priority, and we are working closely with police and emergency personnel to ensure the campus remains protected,” Peralta Community College District officials said. “This is a frightening moment for our community. We encourage everyone to follow official instructions, and rely only on verified communications from the District and law enforcement.”
The shooting comes one day after a student was shot at Skyline High School in Oakland.
“I am heartbroken by today’s shooting at Laney College — the second shooting on an Oakland campus in one week,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. “OPD is investigating this incident. We must continue confronting the ongoing gun violence crisis that is robbing our community of safety and stealing futures.”