Horror struck a California car park when a pensioner couple allegedly took turns shooting their son-in-law dead in broad daylight following a bitter family dispute. Jonathan McKinsey, 40, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a parking lot near the Dublin Sports Grounds on Saturday afternoon.
Police were called after an officer discovered his body at around 3pm in Dublin, around 40 minutes south-east of San Francisco. The victim's in-laws, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, were identified as suspects and arrested within minutes of the shooting.
Witnesses describe shooting in busy area
Witnesses told local media the elderly couple took turns firing at McKinsey as families and children were nearby. Dublin resident Kevin Stein told local outlet KTVU: “There were kids and families, just like you see now.
“This parking lot is full on a Saturday…It's incredible that they'd just do that right in front of everybody.”
Suspects in custody
Zhang and Chen were arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into a local jail, where they remained on Monday afternoon. Police have not disclosed a possible motive for the killing.
However, the shocking shooting comes months after McKinsey was arrested over allegations involving child abuse. According to a probable cause declaration, a woman told Dublin police that McKinsey had hit her six-year-old son in the face with an open hand.
Previous allegations against victim
She also reportedly told officers about an alleged incident in 2018 in which McKinsey grabbed her arm, leaving a bruise. When police went to McKinsey's home following the report, they allegedly found a two-year-old child unattended while he had gone shopping.
McKinsey was subsequently charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which cited court records. He pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on condition that he complete parenting classes.
Victim worked at New York Times
It has not been established whether those previous allegations were connected to Saturday's killing. Police have yet to say what led to the confrontation or whether the suspects had planned the attack.
McKinsey was a senior employee at The New York Times, where he had worked since 2023. A spokesperson for the newspaper said he was director of engineering for New York Times Games.
His death has sent shockwaves through the community after the alleged shooting unfolded in a busy public area in the middle of the afternoon. Witnesses helped officers locate the elderly suspects nearby shortly after the gunfire.
Both remained in custody on Monday while the investigation continued. The allegations against Zhang and Chen have not been proven in court.
