“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,” Barnett’s lawyers said in a statement shared with Sputnik.
Earlier this week, the Charleston, South Carolina coroner’s office said that they found Barnett dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Charleston City Police Department is investigating Barnett’s death, the coroner’s office said.
Barnett was recently cross-examined by Boeing’s lawyers and was scheduled to answer more questions on Saturday, but did not appear, according to media reports.
Barnett worked at Boeing for more than three decades before retiring in 2017. Barnett accused Boeing of cutting corners in order to expedite the production of its 787 Dreamliner jets at a North Charleston plant.
Barnett’s lawyers said that they need more information about the whistleblower's death. The Charleston police must investigate Barnett’s death fully and accurately inform the public of their findings, the lawyers’ statement said.