A former Boeing employee who raised concerns about the company’s alleged safety problems, was found dead in Charleston on Saturday. The Charleston County Coroner’s Office tonight confirmed a Monday morning BBC report about the death.
The office said John Barnett, 62, from Louisiana, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Charleston City Police Department is the investigating agency, but no further information was available.
Boeing, where Barnett worked for more than three decades until his retirement in 2017, released the following statement: “We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends."
The BBC said the former employee had been giving evidence in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company in recent days.
According to Sergeant Anthony Gibson with the Charleston Police Department, officers were called to conduct a welfare check at the Holiday Inn on Savannah Highway just before 10:30 am. Upon arrival, officers found Barnett inside a vehicle with a gunshot wound to his head and was pronounced dead at the scene.
"We understand the global attention this case has garnered, and it is our priority to ensure that the investigation is not influenced by speculation but is led by facts and evidence," Sgt. Gibson said in a statement on Tuesday morning. "Given the sensitive nature of the investigation, we are unable to participate in media interviews at this time. This stance is not unique to this case but is a standard procedure we adhere to in order to preserve the integrity of active investigations."
Sgt. Gibson went on to say, “Detectives are actively investigating this case and are awaiting the formal cause of death, along with any additional findings that might shed further light on the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Barnett."
