Ronald Poppo, Miami 'zombie' face-chewing attack victim, has bullet hole injuries

Ronald Poppo, the homeless man left in critical condition 17 days ago in a bloody attack by the so-called Causeway Cannibal, knows that at least half his face was chewed off and that he may have been permanently blinded, his doctors said Tuesday.

Yet despite the prospect of months of surgeries, Poppo, 65, is recovering well, not complaining of pain and is undergoing physical therapy at Jackson Memorial Hospital. "He is honestly living in the moment," said Nicholas Namias, a University of Miami physician and director of the Ryder Trauma Center. "He's a very nice guy, really. And I don't think I've said this about anyone before, but he's charming. He really is."

In a news conference, doctors displayed an hours-old photo of Poppo that shows him with flaps of skin sewn over his eyes, his forehead raw and dappled with scabs, and his nose gone.

Doctors also revealed that two puncture wounds found on his left side may be the entrance and exit wounds of a bullet fired by the Miami police officer who killed Poppo's attacker, Rudy Eugene, to end the May 26 attack on the MacArthur Causeway.

That wound has healed, said Namias. He said that Poppo also suffered a brain injury during the attack, and a broken rib.