Suspect accused of killing of legendary Oakland coach John Beam charged with murder
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The Alameda County District Attorney announced charges Monday against the murder suspect of Laney College Coach John Beam. Cedric Irving is facing felony murder and gun charges.
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The Alameda County DA's Office says the gun Cedric Irving Junior used to kill Beam was registered to him. The DA's office did not know how long Irving was in possession of it.
According to charging documents filed Monday, when Oakland Police arrested Irving on Friday, the handgun was in one of his bags and during an interview he admitted to shooting Beam with that gun.
"I'm just absolutely sick to my stomach about the amount of gun violence in our communities specifically in Oakland," said Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson.
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Coach Beam's murder was one of two school shootings last week. There was also a shooting at Skyline High School.
For that reason the DA said she is reinstituting mandatory minimum sentences as it relates to gun cases. The DA said the mandatory minimums will be higher for ghost guns.
She said that while her office is usually reactive, this is an opportunity to be proactive.
"It is important for us to start talking about I think security on school campuses," said the DA.
The DA would not comment on Irving's state of mind. She did confirm he was not a student athlete but was on Laney's campus from time to time. Also that he did not have a prior criminal record.
Former prosecutor and deputy district attorney Steven Clark said the killing of Beam, a longtime coach known for mentoring young athletes, was a breaking point.
"When you look at Coach Beam and the lives he impacted and the generous man he was, and for him to be gunned down in this way, people just say, we can't live with that in our society. We need to make a change. Hopefully, so this would never happen again," said Clark. "Certainly the DA's office is sending the message, we need to get guns out of Alameda County. The question will be, is this the best way to do it?"
Clark points out that many community leaders and groups have criticized these types of policies before.
"People have pointed to a lot of injustices, particularly in communities of color, that they are applied disproportionately, that it is not a fair system," added Clark. "There are people that are deserving of a break who make a mistake, and you don't really want to treat everyone in a cookie-cutter approach type of manner."
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The NAACP is one of the groups that have historically opposed mandatory minimums. The Oakland NAACP chapter plans to call Tuesday for a different approach: more funding for flock safety cameras, license plate recognition cameras to help police track suspects.
Clark also poses this question: Will the courts go along with the DA's new policy?
"It's the judges that have to deal with the crowded dockets, and they may not be willing to go along with the DA's new pronouncement," said Clark.
Victim Advocates from the DA's Office are in touch with Beam's family.
"He really is the best of Oakland, was the best of Oakland, is the best of Oakland, his spirit is still here," said the DA.
The DA would not comment on motive but last week, Oakland Police said it was a targeted shooting. Cedric Irving Jr. will be arraigned Tuesday morning.
