A family friend of the now-deceased Boeing whistleblower John Barnett has said that the 62-year-old did not die by suicide, American media reported on Friday (Mar 15). Barnett, who worked at Boeing for 32 years, was found dead by apparent suicide, according to authorities in South Carolina. On Tuesday, the Charleston County coroner’s office said that Barnett died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An investigation into the matter is underway.
Speaking to ABC News affiliate WPDE, Barnett’s friend Jennifer said, “I know that he did not commit suicide. There’s no way.” Jennifer said that she and Barnett talked about this exact scenario playing out.
‘It’s not suicide’
Jennifer said that when she needed help one day, Barnett came to see her. The two talked about his upcoming deposition in Charleston. She knew that her friend filed an extremely damaging complaint against Boeing.
“He wasn’t concerned about safety because I asked him,” she told WPDE, adding, “I said, ‘Aren’t you scared?’ And he said, ‘No, I ain’t scared, but if anything happens to me, it’s not suicide.'”
Jennifer further said that she thought somebody didn’t like what her friend had to say and wanted to shut him up. “That’s why they made it look like a suicide,” she said. The last time Jennifer saw Barnett was at her father’s funeral last month.
‘Subjected to hostile work environment’
Barnett worked as a quality manager at Boeing and left the company in 2017. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the 62-year-old’s lawyers Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles said that he was in the middle of a deposition in an ongoing whistleblower retaliation case against Boeing.
“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,” they said.
The lawyers also said that their client had exposed very “serious safety problems with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and was retaliated against and subjected to a hostile work environment.”
Meanwhile, Boeing said in a statement, “We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
(With inputs from agencies)
