SAINT-SÉVERIN-DE-PROUXVILLE – The family of a nine-year-old boy killed by a hockey net in Mauricie Saturday gathered Sunday afternoon at the skating rink where he died to remember the child.
A makeshift memorial was placed on the net, with balloons and flowers attached to honour the Javier Alexis Urquiaga's life.
“He was a ray of sunshine for everyone,” said his aunt, Cathy Chiasson.
Step grandmother Rachel Guillemette was a caretaker for the young boy.
“I would watch him every day. He was so young… we’ll miss him” she said, describing him as a boy who loved to play hockey and visited the rink every day before and after school.
The boy was found dead Saturday morning on an outdoor rink in Saint-Séverin-de-Proulxville, in the Mauricie region, about 250 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
Police believe Urquiaga was playing hockey at about 9 a.m. when the net fell on him.
Two men who worked near the municipality’s recreation centre made the difficult discovery.
"They tried to help him but it was already too late," said Surete du Quebec spokesperson Daniel Thibaudeau.
The child was pronounced dead at the Mauricie Central Hospital in Shawinigan.
Thibaudeau said police don't consider the incident a criminal matter.
The incident is under investigation by the coroner’s office.
With a file from The Canadian Press
