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• Jonathan McKinsey, 40, a New York Times Games engineering director, was found fatally shot in California
• His in-laws, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, were arrested within minutes of the shooting
• The killing occurred amid a bitter divorce and custody battle between McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang

A New York Times engineering director was shot dead in broad daylight in a busy California sports complex on Saturday, September 26, with his elderly in-laws taken into custody shortly after.

Jonathan McKinsey, 40, was discovered with gunshot wounds in the parking lot of Dublin Sports Grounds at approximately 3:08 p.m. local time.

What happened to Jonathan McKinsey?

A police sergeant who happened to be driving past the facility spotted McKinsey on the ground as emergency calls were already flooding in. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police moved quickly, arresting McKinsey’s wife’s parents, Shouyong Zhang, 77, and Shili Chen, 77, within minutes of the shooting.

Witnesses at the scene reportedly said the couple had remained in the area after the incident, with some accounts describing two individuals alternately firing.

McKinsey had been part of The New York Times since 2023, where he served as engineering director for the publication’s games and player experience division. He is survived by three children.

Investigators confirmed there is no indication of any wider public threat connected to the shooting.

The shooting unfolded against the backdrop of a deeply contentious divorce and custody dispute between McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang.

TMZ reports that both parties had sought restraining orders against each other in 2025, with court filings reflecting competing allegations of abuse on both sides.

McKinsey, a transgender man who transitioned around 2010 and married Jang the following year, alleged in court papers that his mother-in-law had directed slurs at him and that a physical altercation had taken place following a surgery.

Jang, for her part, alleged that McKinsey had threatened her and her parents, struck their six-year-old son, and once left a toddler without supervision.

Zhang and Chen were booked into Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder and related charges. Both were held without bail as they awaited arraignment.

Police have not yet announced an official motive, and detectives continue to piece together the full sequence of events in the parking lot.