A five-year-old boy who was thrown from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Minnesota is home after spending five months in the hospital.
Landen Hoffman completed his inpatient rehabilitation and returned home, the family said Tuesday on their GoFundMe.
“We continue to ask that His healing powers guide us and our son’s care team as we enter the next phase of recovery, which includes continued outpatient rehabilitation for multiple injuries and adjusting to life back at home and school,” Hoffman’s family wrote.
Hoffman was moved from intensive care in early August to a physical rehab program. He has had multiple surgeries for broken bones and head trauma.
The boy was standing outside the Rainforest Cafe on April 12 with his mom and a friend when 25-year-old Emmanuel Aranda grabbed him.
Aranda pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and was sentenced to 19 years in prison in June.
The criminal complaint alleged Aranda randomly attacked Hoffman because he was angry women at the mall had rejected his efforts to talk to them. Aranda said he planned to kill an adult, but chose the boy instead.
Aranda’s mother, Becky Aranda, said her son has suffered from mental health issues since he was a young child.
Aranda filed a notice last week to appeal his case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Hoffman’s mother said in June that she and her husband forgave Aranda: “I want you to know I forgive you. Not because what you did was okay, not because I want to; but because God wants me to.”
