Local News

“He spent his last moments laughing and playing tag with his little sister and her friend.”

A Melrose boy killed by a falling tree at his elementary school playground Monday is being remembered as a “fun and incredibly loving” child who relished his time on Vermont’s ski slopes.

Zakaria Bel Qaid, 9, was one of three people injured in the “crazy and unbelievable accident” outside Winthrop Elementary School Monday afternoon, his family said in a statement. 

“He spent his last moments laughing and playing tag with his little sister and her friend,” his family said. “Zakaria had such a bright future that was cut way too short at just 9 years old. He just had his birthday last week and was excited that he would be a double high five next year.”

Melrose officials said the two others injured by the falling tree — an adult and another child — have since been discharged from local hospitals. It remains unclear what caused the tree to topple. 

In a joint statement Tuesday, Melrose Mayor Jen Grigoraitis and Superintendent Cari Berman said they were “deeply saddened” by Zakaria’s death, adding, “There are no words to convey such a profound loss.”

The boy’s family remembered him as “fun and incredibly loving, loyal, determined, confident, silly, stubborn and the very best mama’s boy.”

Skiing “was absolutely everything to him,” his family added. They asked that donations be made to a memorial fund benefiting his ski team, Vermont’s Green Mountain Academy, in lieu of flowers. 

Zakaria “would want others to experience the pure joy of skiing that he did,” his family explained on social media. “I pray he’s skiing now and doing all of the tricks he always dreamed of.”