Well-wishers have donated over $541,123 to the family of 5-year-old Landen Hoffman who was thrown from a third-floor balcony in the Mall of America by a stranger.
The 5-year-old was tossed to the marble ground that was beneath the balcony on April 12.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help the family of Landen with their hospital bill, so far the page has raised $541,123 of $500,000 goal which was Raised by 15,798 people in 1 day.
The page describes the 5-year-old boy as the ‘sweetest kindest five-year-old you will ever meet’.
The story present in the GoFundMe page says, “His soul is soft and gentle and instantly brings a smile to everybody he meets. He is full of energy and life and enjoys soccer, playing with friends and family and playing hockey with his brother and sister. He was enjoying a day at the Mall of America with his mom and friend on Friday morning when a stranger maliciously grabbed him and threw him over the 3rd-floor balcony for no apparent reason.”
It added, “The family doesn’t know him and are completely clueless as to why this monster would target their family with this heinous act of violence.”
24-year-old Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda was charged with attempted murder after the Bloomington Police arrested him.
A statement released by the Bloomington Police said, “At this time the suspect does not appear to be known to the victim or to the victim’s family.”
Chief Of The Bloomington Police Department, Jeff Potts, said, “First of all, most importantly, the child that fell is still alive. He’s still receiving care. The family is requesting privacy, I think that we just want to acknowledge that this is a horrific situation. The family and this child are in our thoughts and prayers.”
He added, “The suspect was seen fleeing the scene immediately after the incident happened, he was located very quickly and he was arrested and brought to The Bloomington Police Department. He has been cooperative with our detectives.”
Chief Jeff Potts also said that Emmanuel has been arrested before at the Mall of America.
He said: “We do have prior contacts with this individual. One of them in July [2015], that also occurred at the Mall of America, he was seen throwing an object off one of the floors – the third level. When the officers tried to speak to him he was not cooperative.”
In a statement released by The Mall of America, they said, “This was a senseless act and words cannot truly express our profound shock and sadness. Our immediate and only concern is for the well-being of the family and the child, as well as for any individuals who may have witnessed the incident.”
It Added, “We have counselling services available for anyone who may need assistance. We know that this is a concerning event for all of us. As the Bloomington Police Department continues to investigate how and why this isolated incident happened, we will provide our full cooperation.”