The man arrested in the killing of John Beam says he believes the famed Last Chance U coach was using witchcraft on him.
Cedric Irving Jr., 27, has been charged with murder in the targeted assassination of Beam, whom he shot in the head on the Laney College campus on Thursday.
Beam was rushed to a local hospital but died of his wounds on Friday.
While some outlets initially reported that Irving and Bem did not know each other, it has come to light that the two had met. Irving played at Skyline High School, where Beam coached for 22 years. Though Irving never played for Beam.
The Oakland Police Department has described the shooting as a “very targeted incident.”
Irving faces charges of murder and a separate charge of using a gun. Each offense carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. The 27-year-old told investigators that he had a “fixation” on Beam, believing that the coach had used “black magic” and other dark arts on him and others.
“My thoughts are with Coach John Beam and his loved ones,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee wrote on X. “We are praying for him. Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator, and a lifeline for thousands of young people. For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family.
“This is the second shooting on an Oakland campus in two days, and it is devastating. Schools should be the safest spaces in our city. We need guns off our streets now. We are standing together, praying for Coach Beam and his loved ones.”
