COUPLE ARRESTED AFTER NEW YORK TIMES ENGINEER SHOT DEAD IN CALIFORNIA

Police in Dublin, California, arrested a married couple on suspicion of murder after their son-in-law was shot dead in the city on Saturday, a city press release said. Officers found Jonathan McKinsey, who had led engineering for the New York Times's games department for nearly four years according to his LinkedIn page, lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police arrested the suspects, named as Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, who are McKinsey's in-laws, shortly after the shooting, which happened in a car park in the city. Witnesses told broadcasters the pair wore masks and each took a turn shooting him. Police have not disclosed a motive.

Dublin is a small city around 35 miles east of San Francisco in the Bay Area. Court records cited in local media reports show McKinsey and his wife, the suspects' daughter, had been in a custody dispute over their child, alongside allegations of domestic and child abuse. Multiple 911 calls from witnesses reporting the shooting came in around the time an officer discovered McKinsey's body, the city said. According to Dublin's own crime data, the city recorded one homicide a year between 2023 and 2025, while reported domestic violence incidents rose from 121 in 2024 to 131 in 2025.

A court has scheduled an arraignment for Zhang and Chen for Wednesday, according to a local media report. Investigators have not detailed what evidence beyond witness accounts links the couple to the killing. Police have not said whether the custody dispute or the abuse allegations are connected to the shooting. The city of Dublin said its investigation into the case is continuing.