A 66-year-old junior college football instructor, Arthur Knight, who achieved recognition at City College in Sacramento, California, throughout the concluding installment of Netflix’s program, “Second Attempt U,” passed away due to injuries sustained from gunfire after being shot Thursday within the campus vicinity, according to the Sacramento Police Department.
The 27-year-old alleged perpetrator, known as Samuel Edwards Jr., was apprehended early Friday at a Regional Public Transportation hub in West Sacramento, as stated by Sacramento law enforcement, according to The New York Post.
Police Commissioner Gary Peterson disclosed Knight’s passing at a press briefing Friday, according to The Associated Press, which similarly noted that deputy commissioner Thomas Baker mentioned that while the detained suspect and Knight weren’t intimate, they were acquainted. Baker labeled it “a distinctly focused event,” as per the AP.
Baker further indicated that the suspect had participated in football at Capital High School, although not during Knight’s tenure there, before his involvement with City College, based on information from the AP.
Reports suggest that the shooting transpired around midday on Thursday at the football complex situated on City College’s grounds, where Knight served as the principal coach from 2012 until his resignation in 2024. He maintained his role as the institution’s sporting director.
The Peralta Community College District initially issued an urgent notification regarding an armed individual on the premises, but later clarified that only one person had been shot. A later declaration refrained from explicitly identifying Knight, referring to him solely as a veteran member of the athletic team, yet indicated his transport to a medical facility.
Law enforcement temporarily imposed a campus lockdown until confirming the absence of an ongoing threat, as reported by the Post.
Arthur Knight garnered recognition and respect, in “Second Attempt U.” (David M. Barreda / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
(Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Knight was a well-respected person in the Sacramento football circuit, and his endeavors were chronicled in the fifth installment of “Second Attempt U” back in 2020. Unlike instructors featured in other episodes of the program, Knight was depicted as a sympathetic coach relentlessly committed to his players, and successful. Before City College, he amassed a 160-33-3 record as Capital’s football coach.
Oscar and Rebecca Baker, currently affiliated with the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers, respectively, expressed their gratitude for Knight through social channels after the incident, sharing a series of Instagram updates. Before the defensive players advanced to the NFL, and prior to their tenure at Oregon State, they competed under Knight.
“You signify everything to me,” Rebecca Baker penned on one of her Instagram posts Thursday, accompanied by a broken heart icon and a photograph depicting her and Knight in a close, side-by-side moment along the sidelines.
Throughout his two positions, Knight witnessed more than 20 athletes make their entrance into the NFL.
Another person he impacted was NBA phenomenon Victor Hayes, a Sacramento area native who stated that Knight offered him his initial employment during City College football matches.
In a disturbing parallel, a student was reportedly shot at Capital less than 24 hours earlier on Wednesday. The student is in stable condition, as reported by the AP, and two minors were taken into custody regarding the shooting.
Knight’s passing deals a blow to the East Sacramento vicinity, where he touched the lives of countless young athletes, whom Knight notably encouraged to be vulnerable.
“For upwards of 40 years, he has molded leaders both on and off the gridiron, and our populace is deeply affected, standing in solidarity with his family,” Sacramento Mayor Allison Green stated, according to the AP.
