Police arrested the parents-in-law of New York Times Games executive Jonathan McKinsey after he was shot outside a California sports complex.
Police arrested the in-laws of New York Times Games engineering executive Jonathan McKinsey after the 40-year-old was fatally shot outside the Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, California, on Saturday afternoon.
A Dublin Police Services sergeant driving near the sports complex spotted McKinsey lying in the parking lot shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, bringing an immediate response from officers and paramedics. With help from witnesses, officers detained McKinsey’s parents-in-law, 77-year-old Shouyong Zhang and 77-year-old Shili Chen, within minutes. Police said the married couple remained near the scene and that McKinsey was deliberately targeted. Authorities haven’t stated what led to the gunfire.
Abuse claims and custody battles
Before his death, McKinsey accused Zhang, Chen and his estranged wife, Candice Jang, of years of abuse during a divorce and custody fight, according to reports by The Mercury News and The New York Times. The New York Times reported that McKinsey, a transgender man, alleged the abuse stemmed from his gender identity.
In a December 2025 petition for a domestic violence restraining order, McKinsey alleged Chen directed anti-LGBTQ slurs at him and one of the couple’s children, according to the newspapers. He also stated that Jang mistreated him during medical procedures tied to his gender transition, and he accused Zhang of hitting him in the chest while he recovered from double mastectomy surgery.
Court dockets reviewed by Fox News Digital show McKinsey and Jang were involved in multiple active legal battles, including competing domestic violence restraining order filings, an ongoing child custody dispute and a pending divorce. Jang filed for a restraining order against McKinsey in October 2025, and McKinsey filed his petition two months later. The domestic violence matters were scheduled for a three-day hearing in December. Jang also accused McKinsey of domestic violence and child abuse during family court proceedings, which McKinsey denied in his petition.
Charges and court proceedings
Separate court records show McKinsey faced a misdemeanor child abuse case filed in October 2025 that charged him with child endangerment and corporal injury to a child. A pretrial hearing in that case had been set for earlier this month.
Zhang and Chen were booked into the Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder. Jail records indicate prosecutors also recommended charges of conspiracy, willful discharge of a firearm and child abuse. Both are scheduled for arraignment Wednesday morning in Alameda County. It wasn’t immediately clear if they had legal representation, and Jang couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
