New York Times executive fatally shot, 77-year-old in-laws arrested

A New York Times engineering executive was found fatally shot on Saturday in the middle of a parking lot in Dublin, Calif., with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police.

In a news release, Dublin Police Service (DPS) said a sergeant was driving near the Dublin Sports Grounds on Saturday, when he saw a man lying on the ground in the parking lot.

“DPS officers found Jonathan McKinsey, 40, of Dublin, in the middle of the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds. McKinsey was pronounced deceased at the scene,” police added.

Police said that with help from witnesses, officers located and detained two suspects who had remained nearby the scene.

“The suspects in this homicide are Shouyong Zhang, 77, and Shili Chen, 77, both of Dublin. They are a married couple and are McKinsey’s parents-in-law. Both were arrested on suspicion of PC 187 – Murder and booked into Santa Rita Jail,” police said.

Police said there are no outstanding suspects and no threat to public safety.

The New York Times confirmed that McKinsey was director of engineering for their games department.

According to The Associated Press, McKinsey had been in a custody dispute with the suspects’ daughter, Candice Jang.

The killing occurred a week before a hearing was scheduled in McKinsey and Jang’s divorce case. The couple had been married since about 2012 and had three young children, according to court records, viewed by The Associated Press.

Court records also show that Jang reported McKinsey to police in 2023, accusing him of shoving one of their children and using rough physical discipline with them generally, The Associated Press reports.

Global News has not independently viewed the court records.

Last October, Jang reportedly obtained a domestic violence protection order against McKinsey after he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor child abuse in a separate case.

Police said he acknowledged having slapped one child and was charged with endangering another.

McKinsey was charged in Alameda County Superior Court with two misdemeanor counts of child abuse in connection with the incidents, The New York Times reports.

He pleaded not guilty to both charges and at the time of his death, he was out on bail and had been trying to enter a mental health diversion program, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

McKinsey responded to Jang’s court filing by requesting a domestic violence protection order against her and filing for divorce, The Associated Press reports.

In his petition for a protection order, McKinsey, who was transgender, alleged that Chen had directed anti-LGBTQ+ slurs at him and at one of their children, the Mercury News reported.