© CopyrightJohn Barnett. Barnett was found dead while in the middle of a legal case with Boeing regarding his time in employment with the aircraft manufacturer.
The Context
Police are investigating after Barnett was discovered in a hotel car park in Charleston with a single gunshot wound to the head, along with what officers described as a "silver handgun" and a "white piece of paper that closely resembled a note." A coroner's report said he died from a "self-inflicted" wound, though the Charleston Police Department is still making inquiries.
After retiring in 2019 Barnett accused Boeing, his employee of 32 years, of cutting corners and using sub-standard parts to build planes. He claimed to have reported this to management and been ignored, though Boeing has denied this.
What We Know
Speaking to ABC News 4 Jennifer, who didn't give a surname and was described by the network as a "close family friend" of Barnett, claimed he told her not to believe any reports of his suicide some time before his death.
She claimed he insisted "I ain't scared" before adding "but if anything happens to me it's not suicide."
Jennifer said: "I know he did not commit suicide there's no way. He loved life too much, he loved his family too much, he loved his brothers too much to put them through what they're going through right now...I think somebody didn't like what he had to say and wanted to shut him up and didn't want it to come back on anyone so that's why they made it look like a suicide."
Newsweek is unable to independently verify the claim made by the reported family friend in the interview. The Charleston Police Department press office was contacted by email at 7:00 a.m. ET on Friday and this article will be updated if they decide to comment.
In an interview with The New York Times in 2019, referring to a factory where Boeing aircraft were made, Barnett said: "I haven't seen a plane out of Charleston yet that I'd put my name on saying it's safe and airworthy."
Barnett was in the midst of a legal dispute related to his whistleblowing when he died. In a statement his lawyers, Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, said there was "no indication" he would take his own life.
The statement read:
"John was in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower retaliation case, which finally was nearing the end. 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.In a statement provided to Newsweek Boeing said: "We are saddened by Mr. Barnett's passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends."
"We are all devastated. We need more information about what happened to John. The Charleston police need to investigate this fully and accurately and tell the public what they find out. No detail can be left unturned."
What's Next?
Boeing's safety record has come under intense scrutiny after two fatal crashes involving the Boeing 737 MAX in 2018 and 2019. In January an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 suffered a door blowout shortly after take-off while flying at 16,000 feet.
On Wednesday an American Airlines Boeing 777 made an emergency stop in Los Angeles due to a possible mechanical problem after departing from Dallas.
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world politics. He has covered the intersection between politics and emerging technology, such as artificial intelligence. James joined Newsweek in July 2022 from LBC, and previously worked for the Daily Express. He is a graduate of Oxford University. Languages: English. Twitter: @JBickertonUK. You can get in touch with James by emailing j.bickerton@newsweek.com
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