CHARLESTON, S.C. – After mysteriously failing to show up for the second part of his testimony in a lawsuit against Boeing, a whistleblower was found dead on Saturday in his truck in the parking lot of his South Carolina hotel, according to reports.
John Barnett, 62, worked for Boeing for more than three decades prior to retiring in 2017. Beginning in 2010, he specialized as a quality manager at the North Charleston plant making the 787 Dreamliner.
Barnett raised safety concerns at the airline’s factories and provided his first testimony just days before he was found dead from an apparent “self-inflicted” gunshot wound, the Charleston County coroner told the BBC.
Brian Knowles represented Barnett as his attorney. He told TMZ that he had serious doubts regarding the circumstances surrounding his client’s death, and called the self-inflicted gunshot “alleged.”
“Today is a tragic day,” Knowles told Corporate Crime Reporter. “John had been back and forth for quite some time getting prepared. The defense examined him for their allowed seven hours under the rules on Thursday.”
Barnett had been staying at the hotel to provide a deposition in a whistleblower lawsuit against the airplane giant, the New York Post reported.
The company has been under heightened scrutiny in recent months due to a myriad of issues on its aircraft.
Boeing released a statement following Barnett’s death, saying, “We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
