The 70-year-old musician was walking his dog on the shoulder of a road in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, at around 7:20 a.m. on Saturday, when he was fatally struck by a vehicle driven by a career criminal who was found at the scene with “numerous illegal narcotics,” the Hopkinton Police Department said.
Chief Mark Carrier said 41-year-old Shannon Godbout “left her lane and struck several objects, including two telephone poles,” before hitting Macleod on Spring Street.
Macleod — who was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame with the band Roomful of Blues in 2012 — was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital, but “succumbed to his injuries and passed away,” the police chief revealed.
The musician’s dog survived the crash and ran back to Macleod’s house, the police department noted.
Godbout was arrested after she was found at the scene of the accident “in possession of numerous illegal narcotics and packaging materials commonly associated with drug distribution,” Chief Carrier added.
So far, Godbout faces charges for “driving so as to endanger, resulting in death” and “possession of narcotics, Schedule I/II with intent to distribute,” but may be hit with additional charges after more evidence is collected.
“Godbout’s criminal history includes over 100 arrests, with eight of them from the Hopkinton Police Department,” Chief Carrier said, adding that the 41-year-old has also previously received 40 traffic citations, as well as a staggering 82 court warrants.
She is set to appears before a Justice of the Peace, and will be presented to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office “as a criminal violator for past charges for which she is currently on suspended sentences/probation,” the police chief disclosed.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Macleod’s family during this difficult time following this tragic incident,” Chief Carrier said.
On Monday, the Hopkinton Police Department issued a follow-up statement, explaining that Godbout — who was taken to a hospital for medical evaluations after being arrested on Saturday — is “currently still in police custody at Rhode Island Hospital.”
“The Hopkinton Police Department is collaborating closely with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office to present her in court as a probation violator,” Chief Carrier said.
In the 1980s, MacLeod had received a Grammy nomination as a member of the band Roomful of Blues, the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame said.
Recently, MacLeod was working as a teaching associate at Brown University, as well as a director of the school’s Old-Time String Band.
“He was just always upbeat and cheerful,” fellow musician Doug James — who said he has known MacLeod for about 40 years — told WJAR. “He was a good addition to anything he did. Few people play that well on everything, and he did.”
“He really worked hard at all the stuff he did, but it never looked like that it always just came very easily — it appeared to come easily,” James added of MacLeod.
The musician also noted that MacLeod “was always great to be around” and play music with, adding that “100 percent of the people that know him would say exactly the same thing.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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