'Last Chance U' Star John Beam Dead At 66 After Being Shot on Campus

John Beam, the longtime Oakland area football coach who gained national fame and notoriety during a season of the Netflix series Last Chance U, has died after being shot on the campus of Laney College, where he worked for so many years.

Beam, 66, fell as a hail of gunfire erupted on campus on Thursday. Beam was rushed to a local hospital, where he clung to life until Friday afternoon, when the Oakland Police Department announced that he had died.

While little information has been publicly released about the circumstances of the shooting, Oakland PD characterized the incident as a “targeted situation.”

“In this case, I can just tell you, the individual that was arrested went specifically to the campus for a specific reason.”

Authorities apprehended the shooter in a town near Oakland, TMZ Sports reports.

Beam’s family released a statement expressing their grief at his passing.

“We are devastated that John Beam, our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor, and friend, has passed,” the statement read.

“Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love and support for all those who cared about him. We are deeply grateful for your continued prayers, well wishes, and thoughts.”

Beam left the sidelines to become Laney’s athletic director after a coaching career that spanned decades. His time as Laney’s head coach began in 2012, after eight years of serving as an assistant.

The Last Chance U series, which focused on Laney during Season 5, showcased Beam’s demanding coaching standards coupled with his deep roots in the Oakland area. The series also showed pictures of his office, where jerseys from the more than twenty players he helped put in the NFL adorned his wall.