A police probe into the shocking death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett by the Charleston Police Department on Friday cited suicide as the cause of death.
What did the police discover?
Barnett was found dead on March 9, 2024, ahead of several days of depositions in the US state of South Carolina.
He was discovered after not appearing for his second day of depositions in a lawsuit against Boeing.
He was found dead in the driver’s seat of his orange Dodge Ram truck near the Holiday Inn at 301 Savannah Highway with a gunshot injury to his left temple, which was self-inflicted.
The police also said that he had a gun in his right hand, which he bought legally in 2000 and found a single shell casing in the truck. 
Additionally, a suicide note was discovered on the passenger’s seat and the handwriting on which was authenticated by the authorities as only his fingerprints were found on the notebook.
An excerpt from the note said, “I found my purpose. I am at peace”.
Further, Barnett’s medical reports revealed a history of mental health issues which escalated with his continuing legal battles. He displayed symptoms of “post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, sadness, fear of the impending death of others, and intrusive thoughts”, the report said.
What was Barnett alleging?
Barnett worked at Boeing for three decades as a quality-control manager and retired in 2017.
He submitted a whistleblower report alleging safety issues. In it, he claimed to have noticed discarded metal shavings near the flight controls’ wiring that could have cut the wiring and caused a catastrophe.
He had noted problems with up to a quarter of the oxygen systems on Boeing 787 planes. 
He had also claimed that the company was illegally retaliating against him. The US Department of Labor was investigating the matter and was scheduled to begin hearings on the complaint in June.
Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, is involved in aircraft manufacturing. Its other employees have also alleged safety issues.
Joshua Dean, who died on Tuesday following a brief illness, was a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems. He alleged that managers failed to act on manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX planes.
The probe on death of John Barnett is still underway and the instant discovery plays a vital role in it, said the police.
