BOSTON — The man who was killed Saturday morning by a hit-and-run driver while walking his dog in Boston’s Back Bay is being remembered as a beloved advisor at the Museum of Fine Arts.
William Haney, 42, of Boston, is slated to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on charges of murder and animal cruelty in the death of 79-year-old John Axelrod, also of Boston.
Axelrod was a well-known art collector and benefactor to the Museum of Fine Arts.
In a statement shared with Boston 25 News on Monday, the MFA expressed great sadness, describing Axelrod as a “generous supporter and passionate advocate for underrepresented artists.”
Axelrod had been a part of the MFA family since the 1980s, leaving behind a legacy that includes the John Axelrod Collection.
“His legacy will live on at the Museum through the John Axelrod Collection—a transformative acquisition of nearly 70 works by Black artists, including Archibald Motley, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Alan Rohan Crite, Loïs Mailou Jones, and Kerry James Marshall. Additionally, John gave the MFA substantial collections of 20th-century European decorative arts, including numerous examples of Memphis Group designs, and, between 2008-2015, some 377 pieces of American Modern design from the 1920s and ’30s. The John Axelrod Gallery in the Art of the Americas Wing, featuring American Modern design, was named in his honor in 2009," the MFA wrote in the statement.
The crash occurred on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in the city’s Back Bay section, a median where vehicles are prohibited, just after 8 a.m. Saturday, according to investigators.
Axelrod was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died. His dog did not survive either.
One witness, Eric Vandusen, said the vehicle drove through the walkway of the mall and didn’t stop. He said it went in the direction of Hereford Street before speeding up toward Mass Ave.
“I tried to stop him up there and said, ‘Stop, you hit someone.’ He kept going,” Vandusen told Boston 25.
Vandusen added that neighborhood residents frequently walk their dogs in the area of the crash.
“It’s awful that it’s happened. I mean, you see people out, everyone’s walking their dogs at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning, and a man comes through in a car in the middle of a place he’s not supposed to be and strikes a man and kills him? It’s shaken me to the bone,” Vandusen said.
Additional details on the crash are expected to be released when Haney appears in court for his arraignment.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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