Boy in 'Horrific' Mall of America Fall 'Still With Us and Fighting'

Strangers raise $350K after Landen was allegedly thrown over 3rd-floor railing
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 14, 2019 8:13 AM CDT
Boy in 'Horrific' Mall of America Fall 'Still With Us and Fighting'
Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, who was arrested in connection with an incident at the Mall of America where a 5-year-old boy plummeted three floors Friday, April 12, 2019, after being pushed or thrown from a balcony.   (Bloomington Police Department via AP)

The 5-year-old boy who was apparently thrown or shoved over a third-floor railing at the Mall of America is "still very much with us and fighting," according to a family friend. Landen, who is being identified only by his first name, is being treated at Children's Hospital Minneapolis, reports the Star-Tribune. "has a very long road to recovery ahead of him," writes Noah Hanneman on a GoFundMe that's raised nearly $350,000 as of this writing. "He has many surgeries ahead in his life to try to get back to a normal life for a young, vibrant boy." Police apprehended Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda immediately after the incident on Friday; Aranda has no known connection to Landen or his family, but a history of mental illness and violent behavior. "As to why he did that, we're just trying to figure it out," Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts said. "This is a horrific situation." (More Mall of America stories.)

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