John Beam, a cherished former college football coach who gained recognition through the Netflix series “Last Chance U,” passed away on Friday. His death occurred a day after he was tragically shot at Laney College, where he held the position of athletic director.

The incident took place late Thursday morning at the Laney College Fieldhouse, as reported by KNTV. Beam, aged 66, succumbed to his injuries and died around 10 a.m. on Friday.

In a heartfelt message, Beam’s family expressed their sorrow: “We are devastated that John Beam, our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor, and friend, has passed. Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love and support from all who cared about him. We are deeply grateful for your continued prayers, well wishes, and thoughts. At this time, we kindly ask everyone to fully respect our family’s privacy.”

During a press conference on Friday, Oakland Police Assistant Chief James Beere revealed that 27-year-old Cedric Irving Jr. had been apprehended in connection with the shooting, according to The Patch. Beere explained that detectives utilized surveillance footage from the college, along with footage from nearby areas, to track Irving. A sheriff’s deputy ultimately located him at the San Leandro BART station, leading to his arrest.

Authorities noted that Irving was known to frequent the campus. Although he played football at Skyline High School, where Beam had previously coached, their times there did not overlap.

Irving was not a student at Laney, Beere said, but was on campus for a specific reason, although he did not disclose what that reason was.

“This was a very targeted incident, and I will say that Coach Beam, although they did not have a close relationship, was open to helping everybody in our community,” Beere said, according to KNTV.

Beam began coaching at Laney, a junior college, as a running back coach in 2004 and became head coach in 2012. According to his bio on the school website, 20 0f his players have gone on to the NFL.

It was his work there that led to the Laney College Eagles’ featured role in the 2020 season of “Last Chance U,” a series that focused on athletes at junior colleges as they worked to turn their lives around, The Associated Press said. The series focused on Beam’s tendency to gamble on players nobody wanted, then working with those players to build teams that regular competed for league championships.

“Coach Beam’s legacy isn’t measured in championships or statistics,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said in a statement. “It’s measured in the thousands of young people he believed in, mentored, and refused to abandon, including my nephew, while at Skyline High School. He gave Oakland’s youth their best chance, and he never stopped fighting for them.”