CHARLESTON, SC (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A whistleblower died over the weekend before he could finish his depositions against Boeing.

Time reports that 62-year-old John Barnett had raised concerns over Boeing for the last few years. He was offering evidence as part of a defamation lawsuit against the aerospace company.

Barnett had completed defense examination and was partway through cross-examination at the time of his death. He said that Boeing deliberately hurt his career and reputation after he made allegations of grave safety breaches on their production line.

For 28 years out of his nearly four-decade career, Barnett worked out of Everett, Washington as a quality control engineer. He was transferred to South Carolina when their new facility opened there. Barnett retired from Boeing in 2017.

Barnett was found dead in his car outside his Charleston, South Carolina hotel Saturday from an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound. His lawyer Brian Knowles told Corporate Crime Reporter that Barnett had been “back and forth for quite some time getting prepared.”

The death is currently under investigation.