NYT Engineering Manager Fatally Shot by In-Laws in California Parking Lot
A New York Times senior engineering manager was shot and killed by his elderly parents-in-law in a California parking lot amid a bitter family and custody dispute.
A complex family dispute in Dublin, California, culminated in a fatal shooting over the weekend in the parking lot of a local sports complex. Forty-year-old Jonathan McKinsey, a senior engineering manager in the games department of The New York Times, was allegedly shot and killed by his 77-year-old parents-in-law, Shaoyung Zhang and Xili Chen.
According to police and eyewitnesses, the couple opened fire on McKinsey one after another, leaving him dead at the scene before being arrested nearby. The suspects are currently being held without bail and are scheduled to face a judge on serious charges including murder, conspiracy, and child endangerment.
The violent incident unfolded against the backdrop of a tense web of legal proceedings. McKinsey, who was in the midst of divorce and custody battles with his wife, faced a child abuse charge which he denied, alongside mutual restraining orders between the couple. A crucial hearing in their divorce case was scheduled to take place in less than two weeks.
McKinsey, who held a master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley and was a graduate of Georgia Tech, had led user experience development in the newspaper's games department since January 2023. This strategic growth division operates the popular game Wordle and serves millions of subscribers worldwide.
