Boy thrown from third floor of Mall of America returns to school

The boy who was thrown off a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Minnesota has returned to school. The child, identified only as Landen, is walking “perfectly” after suffering injuries that resulted from the incident in April, according to a GoFundMe page run by a family friend.

Landen, who was 5 years old at the time of the incident, went home in August with a limp and uneven legs formed by a broken femur and an open wound on his abdomen, according to the page. The boy spent months in intensive care to recover from two broken arms, a broken leg, the removal of his spleen and procedures to remove fluid from his lungs and stomach, among other injuries. He is now walking without a limp and able to blow kisses to his mother before heading off to school each day, an update on the GoFundMe page said.

The kindergartner tells people that he fell off a cliff, was caught by angels and that Jesus loves him, so he’ll be fine, according to the site. Since the GoFundMe account launched the day after Landen’s attack, it has received more than $1 million from well-wishers to cover his medical bills.

On April 12, Emmanuel Aranda arrived at the Mall of America “looking for someone to kill” and then threw 5-year-old Landen off a third-floor balcony, according to authorities. Emmanuel Aranda pleaded guilty to attempted firstdegree murder in May and was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Aranda’s mother said her son was homeless before his incarceration and had suffered from mentalhealth problems. In September, Aranda filed to appeal his case.