Former Boeing Whistleblower Found Dead From Apparent ‘Self-Inflicted’ Gunshot Wound

A former longstanding Boeing employee who had expressed severe worries about the company’s manufacturing standards was discovered dead over the weekend in Charleston, South Carolina, according to the Charleston County Coroner’s Office.

According to a news release from the Charleston County Coroner’s Office, John Barnett, 62, died on March 9 of “what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.” According to the city’s police department, detectives are investigating the case and “awaiting the formal cause of death, as well as any additional findings that may shed further light on the circumstances surrounding Mr. Barnett’s death.”

Former Boeing Whistleblower Found Dead From Apparent ‘Self-Inflicted’ Gunshot Wound

According to a statement sent to CNN by his lawyers, “John was in the middle of a deposition in his whistleblower retaliation case, which was finally coming to a finish. He was upbeat and eager to move on from this chapter of his life. We saw no sign that he might commit suicide. Nobody can believe it. We are all devastated [sic]. We need to know more about what happened to John. The Charleston police must conduct a thorough and accurate investigation and report their findings to the public. “No detail can be overlooked.”

His family told NPR that the case was scheduled for trial in June and that Barnett was “looking forward to having his day in court and hoped that it would force Boeing to change its culture.”

Barnett’s attorneys, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles hailed him as “a brave, honest man of the highest integrity.” He cherished his family, his friends, the Boeing firm, his Boeing coworkers, and the pilots and passengers who travelled on Boeing aeroplanes. We have rarely encountered someone with a more real and forthright personality.”

According to a police incident report, officers were dispatched to conduct a welfare check at a Holiday Inn in Charleston before 10:20 a.m. on Saturday. When authorities arrived, they discovered Barnett in the driver’s seat of a truck in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to his head. He was clutching a firearm. Police reported that Barnett was declared deceased at the scene.

According to the police report, a piece of paper next to him appeared to be a note.

The incident report stated that the hotel received a phone call from a “Rob,” who asked for a welfare check on “his coworker John Barnett,” leading hotel workers to the truck in the parking lot.

According to the BBC, Barnett was in Charleston for legal interviews and was due to face additional questions on Saturday. Following his disappearance, he was discovered dead.

Former Boeing Whistleblower Found Dead From Apparent ‘Self-Inflicted’ Gunshot Wound

When asked for comment on Barnett’s death, Boeing responded, “We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

Charleston police issued a statement indicating that the department was aware of the case’s international prominence, saying, “It is our priority to ensure that the investigation is not influenced by speculation but is led by facts and evidence.” Due to the sensitive nature of the inquiry, we cannot participate in media interviews at this time. This attitude is not unique to this case but is a routine process we follow to ensure the integrity of ongoing investigations.”

According to a 2019 New York Times article cited by CNN, Barnett, a former quality manager who had worked at Boeing for decades, discovered “clusters of metal slivers hanging over the wiring that commands the flight controls.”

Barnett told the Times that if those “sharp” slivers “penetrated” the wire, the consequences could be “catastrophic.”

“As a quality manager at Boeing, you’re the last line of defense before a defect makes it out to the flying public,” Barnett said in an interview with the Times. “And I haven’t seen a plane out of Charleston yet that I’d put my name on saying it’s safe and airworthy.”

Former Boeing Whistleblower Found Dead From Apparent ‘Self-Inflicted’ Gunshot Wound

In a message issued to the facility’s employees and sent to CNN at the time, Brad Zaback, a site leader at the plant and general manager of the 787 program, stated that the Times’ coverage “paints a skewed and inaccurate picture of the program and of our team (at the plant).”

Zaback, who said the Times denied an invitation to tour the company, stated that “quality is the bedrock of who we are” and that the plant produces “the highest-quality airplanes.”

SOURCE – (CNN)