'New York Times' Tech Executive, 40, Allegedly Shot Dead by 77-Year-Old In-Laws Amid Fierce Transition Battles, Court Docs Say

Jonathan McKinsey, 40, director of engineering at New York Times Games, was shot to death on Saturday, September 26.

The shooting allegedly occurred in a parking lot at the Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, Calif., where police arrested his 77-year-old in-laws for reportedly committing the crime.

According to court documents, McKinsey was in the middle of a difficult divorce and custody battle with estranged wife Candice Jang, when he was killed, according to a publication.

Officers received a call just after 3 p.m. for a reported shooting at 6700 Dublin Blvd, about one city block from the Dublin Police Department. According to CBS News Bay Area, an officer passing by saw a man lying in the parking lot. McKinsey suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

One witness told the news station that two individuals wearing masks shot McKinsey. After the male shooter fired, he handed the firearm to a female, and she discharged it as well.

A second eyewitness, Assad Razawi, described to the San Francisco Chronicle hearing five to six gunshots followed by McKinsey falling to the ground. Another witness told ABC7 News that the couple walked away calmly after the shooting.

Police arrested Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, a married couple from Dublin, near where the shooting happened. The Dublin police department thanked those who called in, saying “their cooperation was critical to the swift arrest of the suspects.” Both were booked at Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder, conspiracy and child endangerment, and they're currently being held without bail ahead of an arraignment hearing scheduled for Wednesday, September 30.

Police said McKinsey was deliberately targeted, but they haven’t announced a motive. The New York Times confirmed that McKinsey had worked for the company since January 2023. Before joining the company, he graduated from Georgia Tech with a bachelor’s degree and then completed his master’s degree in computer science at the University of California, Berkeley.

In October 2025, McKinsey was charged with child endangerment and corporal injury to a child, and he pleaded not guilty. In a restraining order request, Jang alleged that he struck her 6-year-old son in the face during an argument about Legos, leaving a “very large bruise the shape of a handprint” on his face.

Court documents also alleged that he left his then-2-year-old child at home alone for more than an hour. He was released from jail after entering his plea, but TMZ reported that he was required to attend parenting classes after the fact.

A judge granted Jang a temporary domestic violence restraining order in 2025, and she also told police that McKinsey grabbed her wrist hard enough to leave a bruise in 2018. In August, the court authorized retaining a private child custody evaluator.

McKinsey requested a restraining order and filed his divorce petition against Jang in December 2025. He alleged he'd been abused for many years, including a reported 2013 incident where he claimed she struck him with a frying pan. He further claimed that when he underwent his gender transition in 2010, Jang allegedly attempted to remove the medical tubing from his body after procedures.

McKinsey also claimed in court documents that Chen referred to both him and at least one of their children as a “disgusting queer” and a “pervert,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle, and TMZ reported the remarks followed a disagreement over a child’s clothing.

McKinsey and Jang were married in 2011 in Harris County, Texas, and they were set to appear before a judge in October for a hearing on their divorce.