Jonathan McKinsey, New York Times executive, fatally shot in California as in-laws arrested for manslaughter

A senior New York Times engineer was fatally shot in broad daylight at a California sports complex, with police arresting his father-in-law within minutes of the killing.

Jonathan McKinsey shot dead by in-laws

Jonathan McKinsey, 40, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, California on Saturday afternoon, September 26th. A Dublin police sergeant was driving past the complex at around 3.08pm when he saw a man lying on the ground and stopped to investigate.

Around the same time, police dispatchers began receiving several 911 calls reporting the shooting.

Police and medical personnel responded, but McKinsey was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Dublin Police Services.

Who was arrested?

Police have identified the suspects as Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both aged 77 and residents of Dublin. The married couple are McKinsey’s brothers-in-law.

Authorities said witnesses helped officers locate the pair, who remained nearby. They were apprehended within minutes and booked into the Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder. Police said there are no suspects and no known threat to public safety.

The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation. Police have not released a possible motive.

Some witness accounts reported by local media described the suspects allegedly shooting McKinsey before leaving the area, but police have not publicly confirmed details of who fired the shots or how the shooting unfolded. Investigators continue to review the evidence.

McKinsey’s career at the New York Times

McKinsey has worked for The New York Times since January 2023 and was director of engineering for New York Times Games, the company confirmed to multiple vendors.

His professional background has included engineering roles at Oracle, Coursera, Ultimate Kronos Group and Splunk. He also had an academic connection to computer science, earning a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

His LinkedIn profile also stated that he taught and directed part-time computer science courses at Berkeley and Georgia Tech.

The firing occurred while McKinsey was involved in a divorce and related family court proceedings. According to court records reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle and other sources, his wife filed for a domestic violence prevention order against him in October 2025. McKinsey later filed for a restraining order against his wife and filed for divorce in December.

He also pleaded not guilty to two child abuse charges filed in 2025. Those charges and ongoing family litigation have been reported in connection with the case, but authorities have not said they have determined a motive for the killing.

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the investigation. Zhang and Chen remain accused of murder, and the charges against them have not been proven in court.