Jonathan McKinsey: NYT Tech Executive Shot Dead by In-Laws in Bay Area Parking Lot Had Previously Faced Child Abuse Domestic Violence Charges

The New York Times tech executive, who was allegedly killed by his in-laws in a California shooting, had previously faced domestic and child abuse allegations, according to a bombshell report. Jonathan McKinsey was charged with two misdemeanor counts of child abuse in 2025 by prosecutors in Alameda County, records reviewed by the New York Post show.

McKinsey, 40, who served as the newspaper’s head of engineering for games player experience, was fatally shot around 3 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Dublin Sports Grounds. Police identified his alleged killers as Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77. The shocking broad daylight killing was witnessed by several bystanders in shock.

Dark Past

The charges followed a call Candice Jang, McKinsey’s wife, made to Dublin police, alleging that he had hit her six-year-old son in the face with an open hand. Jang also reported an alleged domestic violence incident from 2018, telling investigators that McKinsey had left bruising on her left arm, according to court records, the outlet said.

When deputies arrived at the couple’s home, they found their two-year-old child alone in an upstairs room while McKinsey was out shopping, a sheriff’s deputy said.

McKinsey pleaded not guilty to both charges and was later released from jail under an order requiring him to complete parenting classes.

A Times spokesperson confirmed that McKinsey was the victim of Saturday afternoon’s shooting and said he had been employed by the newspaper since 2023.

Authorities have not indicated whether they believe either of those previous allegations was connected to Saturday’s fatal shooting. The tech executive was confronted in the parking lot of a Dublin Sports Grounds store at around 3 p.m.

In Broad Daylight

Witness Assad Razawi told ABC7 that he heard several gunshots coming from across the parking lot before seeing McKinsey collapse. “(His) head and chest were bloody,” Razawi said.

A witness also said they saw a man and a woman walking side by side before casually leaving the area shortly after the shooting. Police said a sergeant driving nearby spotted McKinsey lying on the ground, prompting officers to rush to the parking lot.

Razawi told the San Francisco Chronicle that witnesses reported seeing the two suspects calmly leave the scene before police located them in a black sedan at a nearby intersection.

McKinsey had recently moved out of the house where he lived with his wife and their three children, a neighbor told the Chronicle. Another neighbor said a detective came to her door Saturday night, several hours after McKinsey was fatally shot, asking questions about the family.

McKinsey had worked as the company’s head of games since 2023, a New York Times spokesperson confirmed to the New York Post. Before taking charge of the Times’ games platform, McKinsey served as an engineering manager at Splunk. He had also studied at UC Berkeley.