NYT Games Executive Killed in California Shooting

A New York Times executive, Jonathan McKinsey, 40, was fatally shot in a car park in Dublin, California, according to police. McKinsey was the newspaper’s director of engineering for games player experience. Police say his wife’s parents, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, were arrested on suspicion of murder and face multiple charges, including first-degree murder. They are expected to appear in court on Wednesday; the article says it was unclear whether they had a lawyer. McKinsey was found with multiple gunshot wounds outside the Dublin Sports Grounds. A witness told San Francisco television station KGO-TV that he heard several gunshots and saw the victim on the ground. The witness described McKinsey’s head and chest as bloody. His daughter said her father saw the couple walk together and then leave the scene casually. Another witness said they remained in the area after the shooting. An officer passing by arrested them several minutes later. Police said McKinsey was pronounced dead at the scene and have not disclosed a motive. Zhang and Chen are being held at Santa Rita jail. In addition to murder-related charges, they face charges of felony conspiracy, wilful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and child endangerment. The New York Times confirmed McKinsey’s death. The article also contains unrelated links to stories about Wordle, which are excluded from the cleaned article.

The article reports that Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 76 and residents of Dublin, California, were arrested on suspicion of murder after Jonathan McKinsey was shot and killed at a sports complex car park on Saturday afternoon. McKinsey, 40, worked as a gaming engineer for The New York Times. The shooting took place in Dublin, east of San Francisco. According to Dublin Police Services, a police sergeant driving nearby saw McKinsey on the ground as witnesses called 911 and pointed out the couple, who were still near the scene. Authorities said the couple were also facing other charges and were due to appear in court on Wednesday morning. The article says court documents showed McKinsey had been involved in a bitter divorce and custody dispute with the suspects’ daughter, Candice Jang. It does not establish a motive or describe the dispute’s specific terms. At the time of publication, it was unclear whether Zhang or Chen had obtained legal representation. Phone numbers listed for Jang were disconnected. The report attributes the account of the incident to authorities and the details of the family dispute to court documents. It provides no further information about the investigation, the couple’s court appearance, or possible legal responses from the suspects.

Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old director of engineering for The New York Times’ games department, was shot and killed on September 26 in the parking lot of Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, California. Police arrested his in-laws, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 76, on suspicion of murder and other charges. They are the parents of McKinsey’s wife, Candice Jang. Investigators have not publicly identified a motive, and the case remains under investigation. The article describes a troubled marriage and conflicting allegations made in court filings. McKinsey and Jang lived separately and each sought a domestic-violence restraining order against the other in 2025. Jang accused McKinsey of striking their six-year-old child and leaving their two-year-old alone at home. He was charged with two misdemeanor counts of child abuse, pleaded not guilty, and was released on the condition that he complete parenting classes. McKinsey, a transgender man, alleged in his own filing that Jang and her parents abused him because of his identity. He described alleged hostile remarks about him and one of his sons, and said his father-in-law had punched him while he was recovering from surgery. He also accused Jang of harming and neglecting the children, threatening him, and physically assaulting him on several occasions. McKinsey said he believed he had been framed in the incident involving their younger child and feared for the children’s safety. He filed for divorce in December 2025. A witness said he heard several gunshots, then saw a man fall and a man and woman walk away. Police arriving at the scene identified Zhang and Chen nearby and arrested them. They also face allegations involving negligent firearm discharge, conspiracy, and child endangerment. Their arraignment was scheduled for September 30; the article said it was unclear whether they had lawyers.

Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old transgender executive who directed engineering for The New York Times Games and Player Experience, was shot and killed at Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, California, shortly after 3 p.m. on a Saturday. Witnesses reportedly saw his in-laws, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, take turns shooting him and then walk away. Police arrested the couple near the scene and booked them into Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder and other charges. Authorities have not publicly established a motive; the article notes that McKinsey’s gender identity has not been identified by police as a motive.