Ronald Poppo, of Miami Beach has been identified as the victim of the gruesome attack on the Miami, McArthur Causeway.
Poppo is a 65-year-old homeless man that has been living on the streets of Miami since the late 1970’s. This isn’t the first time Ronald Poppo has been the victim of a violent crime. In 1976 he was shot by an unidentified assailant, who has yet-to-be-found.
Both Poppo and his attacker have a lengthy criminal history with the Miami Police Department, although Poppo’s is mostly non-violent arrests that are typical for the homeless. His last arrest was in 2006 for trespassing, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Authorities have been insofar as we know at this point, unable to locate any family members of Ronald Poppo to notify. But, some surprising facts about his life have been discovered. Originally from New York the now-homeless man attended a prestigious high school where he kept up a rather impressive GPA. He also worked in the guidance office and was a member of the Latin Club.
Being unable to locate any family or friends makes it a guessing game to figure out how he ended up living on the streets of Miami. He also has records of vagrancy from Louisiana, suggesting he spent time living on the streets there as well. With a large and growing homeless population in this country, it would be prudent to study as many cases as possible to identify the situations that preclude homelessness.
The reason for the attack is still unclear to authorities. The two men met on McArthur Causeway exit a few minutes before 2 pm on Saturday, May 26. Poppo had a history of stay under the causeway exit overpass and is has been suggested that Eugene was possible on his way to or from downtown to celebrate the Memorial Day weekend.
Whatever the cause, what happened was:
- Eugene and Poppo meet
- Eugene strikes Poppo down and removes his pants
- Eugene begins to savagely beat Poppo before beginning to tear flesh for him with his teeth
- 3 cyclist pass by at various intervals, seemingly unaware of the carnage before their eyes
- Larry Vega Passes by on his bicycle and yells for Eugene to stop, as this no effect on the crazed attacker he flags down a Miami Police Officer
- The police officer arrives on the scene, jumps the medium and yells several time for Eugene to stop
- This has little to no effect, as Eugene raises his head for a moment and growls at the officer
- The office has to shoot Eugene several times and Eugene does not desist until the final and fatal shot has been fired
- Rescue workers arrive on the scene to aid Poppo
Ronald Poppo is currently still in critical condition at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. According to many gruesome pictures circulating the internet, the unfortunate homeless victim will have extensive disfigurement resulting for the sadistic attack.
