Police said the Boeing whistleblower found dead in his car outside a South Carolina hotel last Saturday was found with a "silver handgun" and a "white piece of paper that closely resembled a note," Newsweek reported Friday.
The Charleston Police Department said it was still making inquiries about John Barnett, who was discovered in a hotel car park with a single gunshot wound to the head.
"We understand the global attention this case has garnered, and it is our priority to ensure that the investigation is not influenced by speculation but is led by facts and evidence," police said in a statement.
A coroner’s report said Barnett, 62, died from a "self-inflicted" wound, though a close family friend of Barnett’s told WCIV-TV,"I know he did not commit suicide."
"He wasn't concerned about safety because I asked him," the friend said. "I said, 'Aren't you scared?' And he said, 'No, I ain't scared, but if anything happens to me, it's not suicide.' "
The person added: "I know that 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."
Barnett was in South Carolina finishing a deposition as a whistleblower in a retaliation lawsuit against Boeing, where he worked for 32 years as a quality control manager. He retired in 2017.
His attorneys said during Barnett's employment making the 787 Dreamliner, he "learned of and exposed very serious safety problems with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and was retaliated against and subjected to a hostile work environment."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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