Engineer allegedly shot dead by in-laws claimed they abused him because he was transgender, court docs reveal

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The New York Times Games engineer who was allegedly shot dead by his in-laws in broad daylight had previously claimed that his in-laws and wife abused him because of his transgender identity, according to court documents related to his divorce.

The body of Jonathan McKinsey, 40, was found Saturday afternoon in a park in Dublin, California, with multiple gunshot wounds. Police later identified his in-laws, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, both 77, as suspects in the murder.

Court records obtained by The Mercury News reveal McKinsey and his wife, Candice Jang, had obtained protection orders against each other, with Jang alleging he hit one of their sons and abused her.

McKinsey, who was transgender, alleged abuse dating back more than 15 years, including claims that Jang’s father, Shouyong Zhang, punched him in the chest while he was recovering from a double mastectomy. He alleged that his wife tried to pull medical tubes from his chest during his recovery.

He also made claims that his mother-in-law, Shili Chen, used anti-LGBTQ+ slurs toward him and one of their three children. He alleged that she had been verbally abusive to one of their children over the child’s clothing choices, and blamed him for influencing their son to wear dresses, KGO-TV reported.

McKinsey alleged in the petition that Chen referred to both him and the child as a “disgusting queer” and a “pervert.”

He also included an allegation that Jang beat him with a frying pan in 2013 and accusations that she verbally denigrated their children.

After his wife accused him of slapping their 6-year-old son across the face and leaving a bruise, prosecutors charged him with misdemeanor cruelty and corporal injury to a child. He was released from jail on the condition that he complete parenting classes.

McKinsey was due in court on October 2, but was shot dead beforehand.

The 77-year-old suspects reportedly took turns shooting McKinsey.

Witnesses to the horrific, daytime shooting helped police locate the elderly couple and within minutes they were taken into custody, according to arrest records.

Both were arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into a local jail. They were due in court Wednesday for their arraignment.

Police have not yet shared a possible motive for the shooting, and it was not immediately clear if the previously reported charges had anything to do with the violence. The Independent has contacted the city of Dublin for more information.