Authorities arrested a man suspected of shooting legendary former Laney College football coach and athletic director John Beam early Friday, Oakland police said.
The suspected shooter was Cedric Irving Jr., 27, of Oakland, according to a person familiar with the investigation.
Police arrested Irving around 3 a.m. Friday at the San Leandro BART station after spotting him during an overnight chase. The suspect allegedly told officers he knew Beam and confessed to the shooting, the person said.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee confirmed the arrest and praised law enforcement “for their quick work in arresting the shooting of Coach Beam. This arrest is a testament to the effective cooperation and dedication of our law enforcement community.”
Before Irving was arrested, investigators issued an alert to other police agencies that included two blurry surveillance images apparently captured at Laney College. In one, a man in a dark jacket walks through what appears to be a glass door, carrying bags or backpacks in both hands. In another, taken from above, the same man pulls up the hood of his jacket.
Police officers at Laney College in Oakland, California in 2025. on Thursday, November 13. The school was placed on lockdown after athletic director John Beam was shot, according to police. (Santiago Mejia/SF Chronicle)
Irving played sports at Skyline High School, but it was not immediately clear if he also played football at Laney College.
Irving’s brother, Samuel Irving, reached by phone Friday, said he was stunned to learn of the arrest.
“It hurts,” he said after learning his brother was a suspect in Beam’s shooting.
Samuael said his brother excelled academically and athletically in high school, where he ran track and played football.
“He was everybody’s scholar,” he said. “I always got F’s and D’s. He loved to play football – that’s why he went to Laney to play.”
He said Cedric had become distant from the family in recent years after an argument with their father.
“That’s when things got weird,” he said. “He stopped talking to us. He didn’t tell us what was wrong.”
Irving worked as a security guard but lost his job after the altercation, Samuael said. He was recently evicted from his apartment.
“I hope it’s not him,” he said quietly. “The Cedric I knew wasn’t capable of killing, but how it went I honestly don’t know.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed the suspect’s identity or said whether he is related to Beam.
James Beere, assistant police chief of the Oakland Police Department, during a news conference at Laney College in Oakland. The school was placed on lockdown after athletic director John Beam was shot on campus, police said. (Santiago Mejia/SF Chronicle)
Beam, 66, who gained national recognition when the Netflix series Last Chance U spotlighted Laney College, was shot in the head Thursday in an outdoor building on campus, officials said.
He was taken to Highland Hospital, where friends, former players and longtime colleagues gathered Thursday night to wait for news. He remained in critical condition late Thursday, according to the Peralta Community College District. Police did not release any new information about his condition or a possible motive for the shooting Friday.
The shooting led to a campus-wide lockdown and police began searching for the suspect, described as a man in a black hoodie. Acting Police Chief James Beere said Thursday that there is no threat to the college.
Former Beam players described him as a father figure who taught generations of Oakland athletes.
“He turned boys into men,” former player Clinton Pugh said. “If anyone can handle it, it’s him.”
Mayor Lee called Beam “a giant in Oakland – a mentor, educator and lifeline to thousands of young people.”
“For more than 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shocked along with his family,” she said. “This is the second shooting on the Oakland campus in two days and it’s devastating.
The shooting comes one day after a student was injured in a separate incident at Skyline High School that has reignited concerns about violence on Oakland campuses.
Beam has been a Bay Area track and field fixture for more than four decades, leading Laney to the 2018 national community college championship and helping hundreds of players move on to four-year universities and even the NFL.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated after Irving’s age was incorrectly identified. He is 27 years old.
This article was originally published Ex-football player charged in Oakland shooting of Last Chance U coach John Beam.