Boy remains sedated in intensive care following Mall of America incident
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A family representative says the five-year-old boy, who police say was thrown from the third level of the Mall of America, is still in intensive care and under sedation.
Stephen Tillitt read the family's statement during a phone conference with media Tuesday afternoon.
"We have an important week ahead with more milestones to accomplish," read the statement in part. "God's hand is working. Your prayers are working. Our son remains in intensive care under sedation and close monitoring as we stay patient to allow him to heal."
Over the Easter weekend, the pastor of the family's church announced a recent MRI test showed the boy had no brain damage, no spinal cord injury or serious internal injuries.
The pastor compared the injuries to those from a bike crash rather than falling several stories. Tillitt would not confirm what the pastor said, but said the comparison only referred to the boy's facial injuries. Tillitt says the family wants privacy and going into confirmation or denials of the pastor's comments would go against their wishes of privacy.
Tillitt would not comment on any possible lawsuit.
The suspect who threw the boy, 24-year-old Emmanuel Aranda, is charged with first degree attempted premeditated murder.
Loved ones have been sharing the boy's updates on his GoFundMe page. More than $950,000 has been donated.