Police have identified a family conflict as the central thread in their hunt for a motive after an elderly couple allegedly gunned down their son-in-law in a suburban Dublin, California parking lot.
Shouyong Zhang, 77, and Shili Chen, 77, both remain in custody at Santa Rita Jail following their arrest early Sunday in connection with the fatal shooting of Jonathan McKinsey, 40, the outlet head of engineering for games player experience. The couple faces charges of murder, conspiracy, willful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and child abuse.
The attack unfolded around 3 p.m. Saturday at Dublin Sports Grounds, where witnesses told police two masked assailants approached McKinsey and took turns firing at him. First responders attempted lifesaving measures, but McKinsey, a Berkeley-educated executive who had worked at the Times since 2023, died at the scene. A passing officer quickly took both Zhang and Chen into custody.
Investigators are now examining a history of domestic turmoil between McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang, as a possible catalyst for the killing. Sources close to the investigation said Zhang and Chen may have opened fire as retribution for alleged abuse against both Jang and the couple’s young child.
Court records show McKinsey was charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse in 2025 by Alameda County prosecutors. The charges stemmed from an incident in which Jang called Dublin police to report that McKinsey had struck her six-year-old son in the face with an open hand. During that same investigation, Jang also disclosed a 2018 domestic violence incident in which McKinsey allegedly bruised her left arm.
When officers responded to the couple’s home, they discovered their two-year-old child alone upstairs while McKinsey was out shopping, according to a deputy sheriff’s account. McKinsey pleaded not guilty to both crimes and was released on the condition that he complete parenting classes.
The legal fractures deepened in the months before the shooting. Jang sought a domestic violence restraining order against McKinsey in October 2025. McKinsey filed for divorce that December and sought his own restraining order against Jang two months later. The pair continued litigating child custody into this year.
A social media post directed at McKinsey in the weeks before his death took on chilling significance after the killing. “Jon, hope everything is going well. Hope you can visit us when you have some free time. Mom and Dad love you and miss you,” read the message shared on McKinsey’s Facebook page roughly two weeks before the shooting. “Hope everything goes well with you and Candice and the kids.”
Zhang and Chen have both submitted to police interviews, though authorities have not disclosed what either suspect said. Dublin Police Services spokesman Capt. Miguel Campos emphasized that the investigation remains active and wide-ranging.
“Part of our investigation is looking for motives from all angles, as well as looking at the histories and relationships of everyone involved and associated with the victim and suspects,” Campos said.
The physical details of the alleged attackers stood in stark contrast to the violence police described. Zhang measures 5 feet 8 and weighs 165 pounds, while Chen is just 5 feet 2 and weighs 110 pounds, according to Alameda County Sheriff’s Office inmate records. The couple has ties to both the Dublin area and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Haunting booking photographs released from Santa Rita Jail show both Zhang and Chen in custody following their early Sunday arrest. Both arrestees face identical charges in the conspiracy.
Reports said McKinsey’s death and his employment with the newspaper. McKinsey and Jang’s ongoing legal battles, combined with the fresh criminal charges against McKinsey and the couple’s fractured custody dispute, now form the backdrop for investigators working to understand what drove two grandparents to allegedly execute their son-in-law in public daylight.
Zhang and Chen are expected to remain in custody at Santa Rita Jail as the investigation continues.