Murder Charges Filed in Shooting of Oakland Football Coach
A man from Oakland, California, has been charged with murder following the targeted killing of John Beam, a well-known football coach at Laney College. Reports indicate that Beam was allegedly shot because the accused believed she was practicing “witchcraft” on him.
On Monday, Alameda County prosecutors announced charges against Cedric Irving Jr., 27, after Beam was shot in the head on the college campus Thursday. The coach sadly passed away the following morning.
Authorities used surveillance footage to identify Irving as the shooter, leading to his arrest on Friday. A firearm was found in his possession, and he reportedly confessed to the murder and illegal gun possession, according to an affidavit.
Police sources stated that Irving, described as “obsessed” with Beam, believed that the coach had used black magic on him and others. In addition to the murder charge, he faces another charge related to allegedly using a firearm to kill a 66-year-old man. Each charge could result in a sentence of 25 years to life in prison, and he is set for arraignment on Tuesday.
Irving had played under different coaches at Skyline High School, where Beam had coached for 22 years. While he never played directly under Beam, they were familiar with each other, and Irving was known to frequent the Laney campus, as noted by Deputy Chief James Beer of the Oakland Police Department. Beer called the incident a “very targeted incident.”
The community is in shock over the violence that has disrupted their campus. Rainey Chancellor Tamir Gilkerson expressed the devastation felt within the Peralta community in a message to staff, noting the impact of this tragedy on their beloved community member.
Beam joined the football coaching staff at Rainey in 2004 and became head coach in 2012. He made an appearance on the Netflix series in 2020, and twenty of his former players have gone on to play in the NFL.
In a statement early Friday, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee shared her condolences, calling Beam a “giant” in the community who had positively shaped many young lives. She highlighted the troubling nature of violence on school campuses, emphasizing the need for action to reduce gun presence in the city as it experienced its second mass shooting within just two days.
