According to CBS, on the 17th local time, according to a document released by the Charleston Police Department in South Carolina on the same day, after extensive law enforcement investigations, the police determined that the cause of death of John Barnett, a former Boeing employee who had publicly exposed Boeing's potential safety hazards, was suicide.
John Barnett
On March 9 this year, Barnett, who had worked at Boeing for 32 years and exposed the company's quality control problems, was found suspected of having died by suicide at the age of 62. The Charleston County Coroner's Office in South Carolina said Barnett appeared to have died from "a self-injurious gunshot wound." This claim raises questions.
The police have just released the results of their investigation:
Police found Barnett holding a silver Smith & Wesson pistol in his right hand, and ballistics confirmed that the bullets at the scene were fired from this gun.
The gun was legally purchased by Barnett, and when he died, the gun was in his hand, his finger was still on the trigger, and police did not find clear fingerprints from the gun. There are a lot of non-slip lines on the gun, which, combined with the recoil when fired, may erase fingerprints.
In the passenger seat of the car, the police found a notebook with a note written by Barnett, on which Barnett's fingerprints were found.
The note recorded Barnett's last thoughts before his death, and he first wrote heavily about his dissatisfaction with Boeing:
"I can't go on like this, that's enough!"
"FxxK Boeing!"
"I hope Boeing will compensate."
"Whistleblower protections are fucked up too!"
"Bury me face down and let Boeing kiss my ass with their stupid X leader full of lies!"
(Barnett's suicide note)
Subsequently, he also said goodbye to his family:
"Family and friends,"
"I found my purpose and I'm calm now."
"I love you guys so much."
(Barnett's suicide note)
The evidence at the scene all seems to indicate that Barnett committed suicide.
During the subsequent investigation, the police discovered that Barnett had serious psychological problems, which were exacerbated by the pressure of Boeing's lawyers as he came to testify in court.
The police report said Barnett showed symptoms of "post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, grief, intrusive thoughts about death."
Barnett worked as a quality control manager at the North Charleston, South Carolina plant that produces Boeing 787 airliners in 2010, retired in 2017 for health reasons, and broke the news about Boeing's production safety in 2019.
Pictured: The Boeing whistleblower was accused of suicide, and a friend had issued a statement of non-suicide before his death.
He was supposed to be questioned on March 9 about his defamation lawsuit against Boeing, but he did not appear in court and was later found dead in the car in the hotel parking lot where he was staying. According to documents released by his lawyers, Barnett said he had been "harassed, vilified and humiliated" for expressing concerns about Boeing's quality control process.