'People's lives are at stake': 10 more Boeing whistleblowers come forward after deaths of previous 2

A second whistleblower at Boeing has died with a mysterious infection after the first allegedly shot himself in the head. 10 other whistleblowers have come forward to speak out against the company's safety practices. 

 

Joshua Dean, 45, died last week from a fast-spreading infection. John Barnett, 62, allegedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, however, he said he was not going to be committing suicide before the incident.  

Lawyers for both deceased whistleblowers have hoped that the deaths do not scare off the other 10 who are speaking out against the company, according to the New York Post.  

Boeing whistleblowers include quality engineer Sam Salehpour; Ed Pierson, a former Boeing engineer and executive director of the Foundation for Aviation Safety; Joe Jacobsen, technical adviser to the Foundation for Aviation Safety and a former FAA engineer; and Shawn Pruchnicki, assistant professor for integrated systems engineering at Ohio State University. 

Dean's death comes just a couple of months after the death of Barnett, who died in March. Barnett worked for Boeing for 32 years and was found dead in his truck with a pistol in his hand in the parking lot of a South Carolina hotel.  

He was found after failing to show up for testimony that day in court after giving bombshell revelations in prior statements.  

Boeing has faced increased scrutiny over the last several months for safety failures and it was announced in March that Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down by the end of 2024.  

Brian Knowles, a Charleston, South Carolina, attorney who represented both deceased whistleblowers stated, “These men were heroes. So are all the whistleblowers. They loved the company and wanted to help the company do better." 

He added in a statement to the Post, “They didn’t speak out to be aggravating or for fame. They’re raising concerns because people’s lives are at stake.”