Suspect Charged After Alleged Confession in Fatal Shooting of 'Last Chance U' Coach John Beam

Suspect Charged After Alleged Confession in Fatal Shooting of Coach John Beam

Cedric Irving Jr., 27, was charged with murder Monday after a probable-cause declaration alleges he confessed to fatally shooting beloved Northern California football coach John Beam at Laney College in Oakland.

What investigators say

According to Alameda County court papers, Irving told investigators he used a firearm found in his bag to shoot Beam on Thursday at Laney College. Beam died of his injuries the following day. The declaration says Irving was identified on security video and was taken into custody early Friday at an Oakland-area transit station.

Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson told reporters that Irving appears to have no prior criminal record and was not a student-athlete at Laney. Prosecutors say the weapon used in the shooting appears to have been registered to Irving. Court officials said Irving was formally charged with murder and related gun offenses and is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday; if convicted, he faces a prison term of 50 years to life.

Background and community reaction

Police have not announced a motive. A law enforcement official previously said Irving went to the college "for a specific reason" and that the two men knew one another but did not have a close relationship. Irving’s brother told NBC Bay Area that Irving played football at the high school where Beam once coached, but his attendance there began roughly a decade after Beam’s tenure ended.

"He really was the best of Oakland. He always had the time. He always had the energy. He always had the heart for the work," District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said of Beam.

Beam, who was featured on Netflix’s "Last Chance U," led Laney to the 2018 California Community College Athletic Association title and coached several players who reached the NFL, including 1,000-yard rusher C.J. Anderson. Players and community members expressed grief and shock; New Orleans Saints player Rejzohn Wright posted on Instagram, "You mean the world to me."

Policy response

Jones Dickson said Beam’s killing, together with a nonfatal shooting the day before at Skyline High School, prompted county officials to reinstate mandatory-minimum sentences for certain felony and misdemeanor gun offenses. Students from Skyline were reportedly on a field trip to Laney the day Beam was shot; the schools were placed in lockdown for two days in a row.

Note: The allegations described above come from a probable-cause declaration and statements by prosecutors and law enforcement; all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.