A former Boeing quality inspector, John Barnett, who had filed a whistleblower complaint regarding alleged safety flaws in planes, was discovered deceased in Charleston, South Carolina, officials announced on Monday. He was found to have succumbed to what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Barnett, aged 62 and hailing from Louisiana, dedicated over thirty years to the aircraft manufacturing giant, raising concerns with aviation authorities in 2017 about what he deemed as potentially “catastrophic” safety deficiencies.
In a statement released on Monday, Barnett’s family expressed that he had endeavored to bring attention to serious issues but encountered “a culture of concealment” within Boeing that prioritized “profits over safety.”
Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal confirmed on Monday that Barnett’s cause of death was “from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound” in the South Carolina city on Saturday.
Barnett had been in Charleston to provide deposition testimony for his federal legal action against Boeing, with his case scheduled to be heard by an administrative law judge later this year, as stated by his legal representatives. They urged local authorities to continue their investigation despite the coroner’s initial determination.
Sgt. Anthony Gibson, spokesperson for the Charleston police, stated on Monday that the department had not received any indications from the coroner’s office suggesting foul play in the case. However, he noted that detectives are actively probing the matter and await the formal cause of death, along with any additional findings that may shed further light on the circumstances surrounding Barnett’s passing.