Police arrest a California couple in the public shooting death of their
son-in-law
[September 29, 2026]
By TERRY CHEA and GENE JOHNSON
DUBLIN, Calif. (AP) — A couple in their late 70s gunned down their
son-in-law in a California city park over the weekend, authorities said,
and court documents showed the victim had been in a bitter custody
dispute with their daughter.
Jonathan McKinsey, a 40-year-old gaming engineer for The New York Times,
was shot to death Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of a sports
complex in Dublin, east of San Francisco. A police sergeant was driving
nearby and saw him on the ground as witnesses began calling 911 and
pointing out the couple, who were still near the scene, Dublin Police
Services said in a news release.
Authorities arrested Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 76 and from
Dublin, on suspicion of murder and other charges. They were due to
appear in court Wednesday morning. It was not immediately clear if
either had obtained a lawyer, and phone numbers listed for their
daughter, Candice Jang, were disconnected.
The killing occurred a week before a hearing was scheduled in McKinsey
and Jang's divorce case. The couple had been married since about 2012
and had three young children, court records show.
Court records show that Jang reported McKinsey to police in 2023,
accusing him of shoving one of their children and using rough physical
discipline with them generally.
Last October, she obtained a domestic violence protection order against
McKinsey after he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor child abuse
in another case. Police said he acknowledged having slapped one child
and also charged him with endangering another. At the time of his
killing, he was out on bail and had been trying to enter a mental health
diversion program, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
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This photo taken with a smartphone shows solar panels covering a
parking lot at Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, Calif., Monday,
Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
McKinsey responded to his wife's court filing by requesting a
domestic violence protection order against her and filing for
divorce. He since had sought more time with the three children,
noting that he had been limited to two hours of supervised visits
per week since last fall, Alameda County court documents show.
In his petition for a protection order, McKinsey, who was
transgender, alleged that Chen had directed anti-LGBTQ+ slurs at him
and at one of their children, the Mercury News reported. He also
accused Jang of being abusive during medical procedures related to
his transition.
McKinsey joined The New York Times in January 2023. He was director
of engineering for New York Times Games and based in the San
Francisco Bay Area, the paper said. A spokesperson declined to
comment further.
___
Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Olga R.
Rodríguez in San Francisco contributed.
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