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Laney athletic director John Beam shot on campus
The victim wounded in a shooting at Laney College was longtime football coach and athletic director John Beam.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Bullets rang out Thursday afternoon at Laney College in Oakland, striking a legendary coach who spent 45 years shaping young athletes into leaders on and off the field.
Beloved coach and athletic director
What we know:
Officials with the Peralta Community College District, which operates Laney, confirmed to KTVU that the man shot was John Beam, 66, the longtime Laney College football coach who retired from coaching last year before taking a job as the school’s athletic director.
Earlier, college officials would only say that the victim was a senior staff member in the athletic department.
Beam's medical condition wasn't revealed.
Friends and family gathered late Thursday night at Highland Hospital, though no one wanted to speak.
Campus alert
The shooting happened around noon in the 900 block of Fallon Street, near the Laney Fieldhouse. That building is adjacent to the college’s football field and houses the school’s athletic facilities and resources. That's where Beam worked out of.
Before the shooting was confirmed, the Peralta Community College District issued an emergency alert at 12:16 p.m. warning of a reported active shooter near the Fieldhouse.
Authorities later clarified that it was not an active shooter situation, only that one person had been shot.
Police walked along the athletic field at Laney College where a man had been shot. Nov. 13, 2025
Suspect at-large
Oakland Police Department Assistant Chief James Beere said the suspect fled the scene wearing dark-colored clothing and remains at large.
He asked for the community's help in locating the alleged gunman.
"It's a male; unknown race, wearing all dark clothing and a black hoodie," Beere said.
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Longtime Laney College head football coach to retire
After 45 years, Laney College head football coach John Beam will hang up his whistle after the football season and retire.
Storied coaching career
Dig deeper:
Who is John Beam? Famed Laney College athletic director shot
John Beam, Laney College’s athletic director and former head football coach, was shot on the Oakland campus Thursday, school officials confirmed.
Beam’s career has spanned decades of success and community impact.
He began his coaching career in San Diego before coming to the Bay Area.
He started coaching at Skyline High School in the '80s, where he won 15 league championships and four undefeated seasons.
He later brought his talents to Laney College, where he added to his legacy and helped build one of the most respected junior college football programs in the nation.
Between his time at Laney and Skyline, Beam produced more than 20 NFL players, including seven Super Bowl participants. His former players have gone on to win championships at every level of football — from NCAA Division I and III to the Canadian Grey Cup, NFL Europe, and Arena League titles.
Beam’s success and mentorship earned national attention when Netflix featured Laney College in its "Last Chance U" series in 2020.
Beyond the field, Beam has been praised for his commitment to guiding young athletes.
"My parents were immigrants. They came out here and didn't know too much. Beam found my brother in San Lorenzo and said, ‘Hey come and play for me man. I could help you out,'" football player Maamaloa Mafi said in 2024. "Ever since then, it was just trickling down."
Mafi said he and his five brothers all played for Beam.
In a previous interview with KTVU, Beam said his coaching philosophy centered on honesty, consistency, and helping athletes succeed in life, not just in sports.
"It was always about teaching young men and young women, student-athletes, how to fit into society and do certain things like be true to your word," Beam said.
Beam gave second chances
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Legendary, beloved football coach and mentor shot and critically injured at Laney College
Former students, now lifelong friends pray for legendary football coach and mentor John Beam of Laney College and Skyline High School after he was critically injured when a man shot him on campus. Beam is being described as a man who saved lives and uplifted young people, including those who were labeled hopeless.
Sean Bullard got emotional talking about his friend on Thursday night. He first met Beam when he was a sophomore at Skyline High School and Beam was the football coach. He's known him for decades and considers Beam his family.
"Our only purpose as parents and coaches is to make the next generation better," he said as tears filled his eyes. "And he's done it over and over and over again."
Lou Richie, a Bishop O'Dowd basketball coach and longtime friend, said that Beam was a firm believer in second chances. He said no one in Oakland has mentored more young people than Beam.
"And he never stopped coaching his young men, even when they're in their 30's, 40's, 50's," Richie said.
He added that while Beam cared deeply about his players, he also put his family first.
Former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong worked closely with Beam. He said the two helped transition a handful of Beam's students at Laney into the police force.
"We had a long-standing relationship with him at the Oakland Police Department to become Oakland police officers," Armstrong said.
Skyline High shooting
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Student shot at Skyline High in Oakland, 2 in custody
A student was shot and wounded at Skyline High School in Oakland. Oakland police arrested two juveniles and recovered two guns.
The shooting comes less than 24 hours after a student was shot at Skyline High, where, coincidentally, Beam once coached. The student was expected to survive. Two young people were arrested in Monday afternoon's campus shooting.
On Wednesday, Oakland Police Assistant Chief James Beere called the violence on school campuses "disgusting."
"These are our children," he said. "Having access to firearms alone is unbelievable, let alone that violence is occurring in and around our campuses. It’s our number one priority to make sure our children are safe and their schools are safe."