Dublin Sports Grounds, Dublin, Calif.
Yelp
Jonathan McKinsey, a director of engineering for New York Times Games, was shot to death Saturday afternoon at a sports complex in the East Bay city of Dublin. Police arrested his mother- and father-in-law on suspicion of murder. The New York Times confirmed his death to multiple outlets.
A Dublin Police Services sergeant was driving near the Dublin Sports Grounds around 3 p.m. Saturday when he spotted a man lying in the parking lot, according to a police statement. Dispatchers began receiving multiple 911 calls about a shooting at about the same time. The sports grounds are on Dublin Boulevard, beside Interstate 580 and near the city center.
Officers found Jonathan McKinsey, 40, of Dublin, with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses helped officers locate and detain two suspects who had remained nearby, police said. Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77 and Dublin residents, were arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into Santa Rita Jail. Police said the two are married and are McKinsey’s in-laws.
A witness told KPIX-TV that a man shot McKinsey, handed the gun to a woman and she also shot him. The witness said both wore masks. Police have not confirmed that account or said which suspect, if either, fired the gun. Investigators have not said what led to the shooting or described the suspected role of either person. Police said there were no outstanding suspects and no known threat to the public.
Jonathan McKinsey, 40, was fatally shot Saturday at the Dublin Sports Grounds in the East Bay.
Alameda County court records show that McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang, were involved in a series of legal disputes in the year before his death. Jang sought a domestic violence restraining order against McKinsey in October 2025; McKinsey sought one against Jang in December. McKinsey also filed for divorce in December, and the couple continued to litigate child custody this year. Separately, McKinsey was charged in October 2025 with two misdemeanors involving child endangerment and injury to a child. Records appear to show McKinsey and Jang got married in Harris County, Texas, in 2011.
According to McKinsey’s LinkedIn profile, he joined the Times’ games engineering team in 2023 and became director of engineering for games player experience in December 2025. He previously worked in engineering roles at Splunk and other technology companies. He wrote that he had taught computer science courses part time at Georgia Tech and UC Berkeley and held degrees in computer science from both universities. On Linkedin, McKinsey often commented on workplace and hiring issues. In a comment posted three years ago, he recalled helping raise money and collecting clothes for the family of a former coworker who had died suddenly.
"When a coworker and friend passed away suddenly at a former company, the team stopped working for a whole week and we brought in grief counselors," he wrote. "People were encouraged to take time off to grieve."
The parking lot at Dublin Sports Grounds, where police arrested two suspects after Saturday’s fatal shooting.
The parking lot at Dublin Sports Grounds, where police arrested two suspects after Saturday’s fatal shooting.
Zhang and Chen were arrested on Saturday on suspicion of first-degree murder, conspiracy, willfully discharging a firearm with gross negligence and child abuse, records show. They are being held without bail and are scheduled for arraignment on Wednesday in Dublin. The records do not explain the child abuse allegation. When asked for clarification on Monday morning, Dublin police told SFGATE that no further details can be provided on the active investigation.
Anyone with information can contact Dublin Police Services Sgt. Ahmad Mateen at 925-786-7989.
This breaking news story has been updated.