Jonathan McKinsey, 40, a New York Times engineering director, was shot dead in a car park in Dublin, California. His wife's parents, both 77, have been arrested, and court records show a custody dispute.4 min readSep 29, 2026 04:29 PM IST First published on: Sep 29, 2026 at 04:20 PM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookNew York Times executive was fatally shot in California. (Photo: linkedin/Jonathan McKinsey)Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old director of engineering for The New York Times Games, was shot dead Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of a sports complex in Dublin, California, with police arresting his 77-year-old in-laws in connection with the killing.Dublin Police Services said a sergeant driving near the Dublin Sports Grounds shortly after 3 pm found McKinsey lying in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.Police identified the suspects as Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, a married couple and McKinsey’s parents-in-law. Both were arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into Santa Rita Jail. Police said the investigation remains active and that detectives are examining the circumstances that led to the killing.What happened at the sports complexDublin police said multiple witnesses began calling 911 around the time the sergeant found McKinsey. Witnesses also pointed officers towards the couple, who remained near the scene.Police located and detained Zhang and Chen within minutes, according to the city of Dublin. The department credited witnesses and community members with helping officers make the arrests.Story continues below this adWitness Assad Razawi told local media that he heard five or six gunshots before seeing McKinsey fall in the parking lot. Other witnesses reported seeing the suspects leave the area.Some witnesses have said the two suspects took turns shooting McKinsey, but police have not publicly confirmed that account or identified which suspect, if either, fired the weapon.There were no outstanding suspects and police said there was no known threat to public safety.Who was Jonathan McKinsey?McKinsey was the director of engineering for New York Times Games and had joined The New York Times in January 2023, according to the newspaper.Story continues below this adBefore joining the Times, he held software and engineering roles at companies and organisations including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Oracle, Coursera, UKG and Splunk. He also had a master’s degree in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.The Times confirmed his role but declined to comment further on his legal disputes.Shooting came amid divorce and custody disputeThe killing occurred as McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang, were involved in divorce and child-custody proceedings, according to court records cited by Associated Press and Bay Area news organisations.Jonathan McKinsey, the director of engineering for New York Times Games, was allegedly shot and killed by his 77-year-old in-laws in Dublin. (Photo: X)The couple had been married for more than a decade and had three young children. A family-law hearing was scheduled for shortly after McKinsey’s death. Court records show that Jang had sought a domestic-violence protection order against McKinsey. She alleged a series of incidents involving herself and the couple’s children.Most Read1Mountain collapses into river in Nepal, terrifying video captures chaos2Dubai’s first Etihad Rail passenger train starts tomorrow, connects Abu Dhabi, Fujairah – Check fare, timings3Why Ukraine wants to legalise pornography and how it could fund the war4Who is Christa Pike? First Tennessee woman to face death in 200 years5US-Iran War Live Updates: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards call US President Trump a ‘big liar’6US Iran War Highlights: Trump says US will ‘win’ Iran war soon, warns fresh strikes possibleStory continues below this adMcKinsey was separately charged with misdemeanour child-abuse offences and pleaded not guilty, according to court records cited by local media. He was out on bail at the time of his death and had been seeking entry into a mental-health diversion programme, AP reported, citing the San Jose Mercury News.McKinsey later sought a protection order against Jang and filed for divorce. He also sought greater access to the couple’s children.Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old from Dublin, California, was fatally shot in a sports complex parking lot on Saturday, Sept. 26. McKinsey was the Director of Engineering for The New York Times Games and was going through a contentious divorce with the suspects' daughter,… pic.twitter.com/kN1ryVIyrD— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) September 29, 2026In his court filings, McKinsey made allegations against Jang and her mother, Chen. He alleged that Chen had directed anti-LGBTQ+ slurs at him and one of the children. He also accused Jang of abuse during medical procedures related to his transition, according to reporting based on court documents.The allegations made by both sides have not been adjudicated in court.AdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementAdvertisement