Boeing whistleblower John Barnett found dead

According to a report from the coroner, a former Boeing employee who had voiced numerous concerns regarding the company's production standards passed away on Saturday from a gunshot wound that appears to be self-inflicted. The employee, who had been actively pursuing a whistleblower complaint against the company, was confirmed by their attorney to be the individual in question.

John Barnett, aged 62, was discovered by police officers on the morning of March 9 inside a vehicle parked at a Holiday Inn along Savannah Highway, holding a silver handgun in his right hand, as detailed by the Charleston Police Department. Officers had been summoned by a hotel staff member who reported hearing a noise emanating from Barnett's vehicle around 30 minutes earlier.

The incident report states that responding officers found a male inside the vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Barnett had checked into the hotel on March 2 and was scheduled to check out on March 8.

The Charleston Police Department said the investigation continues.

Barnett had served at Boeing for 32 years until his retirement in 2017 and had been actively involved in legal action against the company. He was deposed by Boeing's lawyers just the week before, according to his attorney.

"John was in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower retaliation case, which finally was nearing the end," Barnett's attorneys, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, said in a statement Tuesday. "He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on. We didn't see any indication he would take his own life. No one can believe it."

Following the news of Barnett's death, Boeing issued a statement expressing their sadness: "We are saddened by Mr. Barnett's passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends."