New York Times games engineer shot dead in California; in-laws held on murder suspicion

Jonathan McKinsey, 40, the New York Times’ head of engineering for games player experience, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in a parking lot near Dublin Sports Grounds in Dublin, California, on Saturday afternoon, and his parents-in-law have been arrested on suspicion of murder, USA Today reports.

Dublin Police Services said officers found McKinsey in the middle of the parking lot at about 15:00 local time on Saturday, 26 September, and pronounced him dead at the scene. The suspects, 77-year-olds Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen — a married couple and McKinsey’s parents-in-law — were detained nearby within minutes with help from witnesses and booked into the Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County, police said.

Booking records show the pair were booked into the Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder, and jail records show Zhang and Chen are scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, CBS News Bay Area reports. Police have not disclosed a possible motive and say no one else is suspected; there is no threat to public safety.

A New York Times official confirmed McKinsey had worked for the company since 2023 as director of engineering for games, the team behind the paper’s popular puzzle games, USA Today reports. Witnesses told local media that two masked people approached McKinsey in the parking lot and fired multiple shots before leaving the scene, according to CBS News Bay Area.