DUBLIN, CA — Jonathan McKinsey, who was shot to death at the Dublin Sports Grounds Saturday, was a New York Times executive involved in a years-long contentious dispute with his wife, according to court records and new reporting.
Police were called to the Dublin Sports Grounds parking lot Saturday just after 3 p.m., where they found a man dead of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Dublin Police Services. Witnesses directed the police to Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, who were nearby.
A witness told KPIX-TV that a masked man shot McKinsey, then handed the gun to a masked woman, who also shot him. Dublin resident Assad Razawi told The Chronicle that he heard five or six shots, then saw a man bleeding from his chest drop to the ground in the parking lot.
Dublin Police Services told Patch that it cannot release further details on the incident aside from the charges because the case is actively being investigated.
Both suspects, whom police identified as McKinsey's parents in-law, were detained shortly after, and are currently both being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail.
Shouyong Zhang is booked on suspicion of first-degree murder, negligently firing a gun, and child endangerment, according to Alameda County records. Chen was also booked on suspicion of those three offenses, as well as conspiracy to fraudulently obtain money. They are both scheduled for arraignment Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the East County Hall of Justice.
McKinsey, 40, was the head of engineering for New York Times Games, according to his LinkedIn profile and confirmation from the New York Times. McKinsey held engineering jobs at Splunk, UKG, Oracle, Hewlett Packard, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory before joining The Times in January 2023. He held a master's of science in computer science from University of California, Berkeley.
Alameda County court records show that McKinsey was charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. According to a probable cause declaration obtained by The Chronicle, McKinsey's wife reported to police that McKinsey had struck their six-year-old son in the face with an open hand. The woman also told investigators that McKinsey allegedly grabbed her left arm and bruised her in 2018.
The Chronicle reported that authorities later found McKinsey's 2-year-old child alone at his home while McKinsey was out shopping. McKinsey pleaded not guilty to both charges, and was released from jail on the condition that he enroll in and complete 12 parenting classes.
Court records also show that McKinsey's wife sought a domestic violence restraining order against him in October 2025, and he sought one against her in December, according to SFGATE. McKinsey filed for divorce in December, and the couple were litigating child custody at the time of his death.
Patch has reached out to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office for further information.
Police said Sunday there are no outstanding suspects, and the investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact DPS Sgt. Ahmad Mateen at 925-786-7989.
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