John Barnett, ex-Boeing Employee Voicing Concerns on Company’s Production Issues, Found Dead in Apparent Suicide.

John Barnett, a former Boeing employee who reportedly raised concerns about the company’s production issues, was found dead in an apparent suicide, according to authorities in South Carolina.

Barnett worked at Boeing for 32 years before leaving the company in 2017, according to the BBC, which previously reported on his efforts to raise concerns about the company’s production dilemmas.

Boeing stock did not react to the news but many people wondered if there was a direct relationships between the two facts.

The 62-year-old man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as confirmed by the Charleston County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday. The Charleston City Police are investigating, said the coroner’s office, without providing further details.

Boeing said in a statement that “we are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s death, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

According to Corporate Crime Reporter, Barnett had been in the midst of a deposition in a whistleblower lawsuit in Charleston related to the production of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Barnett spoke to the media following the January 5 incident on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft when a panel ruptured mid-flight, exposing passengers to the outside air and requiring an emergency landing.

Since then, Boeing has faced a full-blown crisis over its safety and quality standards. Its production has been hampered by U.S. regulators, leading to delivery delays across the aerospace industry.