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Face-attack suspect's mother: My son 'was no zombie'
The mother of Rudy Eugene, who was shot and killed by a police officer as he chewed the face off a homeless man in Miami, says her son was "a nice kid" who could have been subdued with a Taser rather than gunfire.
"He was a good kid. He gave me a nice card on Mother’s Day. Everyone says he was a zombie. He was no zombie. That was my son,” the mother, who asked that her name not be revealed, told CNN affliate WFOR.
'Zombie apocalypse' trending as bad news spreads quickly
Eugene, 31, was killed by a police officer on Saturday after an 18-minute attack on a homeless man, identified by police as 65-year-old Ronald Poppo. Video of the incident shows Eugene coming across Poppo on a sidewalk along Miami's MacArthur Causeway, stripping clothes off him and eventually chewing on his face.
Police said Poppo lost 75% of his face in the attack. He was in critical condition at a Miami hospital.
Eugene's mother said police didn't need to shoot her son.
"They could have tased him," she told WFOR. "I saw what happened on TV and I started crying.”
Eugene's girlfriend, who also requested anonymity from WFOR, said the attacker seen in that video was nothing like the man she lived with.
“He loved God. He always read the Bible. He would give you knowledge on the Bible. Everywhere he went his Bible went. When he left he had his Bible in his hand,” the girlfriend is quoted as saying.
“That wasn’t him, that was his body but it wasn’t his spirit. Somebody did this to him,” WFOR quotes her as saying.
Fraternal Order of Police President Armando Aguilar told CNN affiliate WPLG that he suspects Eugene was under the influence of "bath salts," a drug that contains synthetic stimulants that can "cause chest pains, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, agitation, hallucinations, extreme paranoia, and delusions," according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
"He was a nice, outgoing, ready-to-help-anybody kind of guy," Cassandra Metayer, a high school friend of Eugene's, told WFOR. “Someone in their right mind doesn’t do that. This is not the act of a normal person. It has to be someone under the influence."
Sgt. Javier Ortiz, vice president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, said officials won't know for certain whether drugs played a role in the attack until toxicology reports are completed in a month or so. But he said police have been seeing increased incidents of drug-induced crime in the area.
On Twitter
In February 2004, police officers reported to Eugene's family home on Northeast 176th Street in North Miami Beach. They found his father, whose first name is Melimon, standing outside the house, afraid to get in between his son and wife.
Cops heard Eugene screaming at his mother: "You see what I can do!" and "How do you feel now!"
When the officers entered the home, Eugene balled his hands into a fist and demanded: "What are you gonna do? What? You gonna shock me?"
He threatened the officer, according to the police report, saying: "I'll kick your ass." That's when Eugene earned the dubious distinction of being the first perp ever Tased in North Miami Beach.
Afterward, Eugene's mother Ruth told officers that he had said: "I'll put a gun to your head and kill you."
May 31, 2012 at 1:19 pm | Report abuse | Reply
Yea this definitely sounds like the family is going to sue the police department for shooting their zombie son....
I'm pretty impressed that the poor cop didn't kill him immediately, without warning, without a request to desist. I can't imagine coming across something like that and not shooting to kill on sight. IMO, the cop's training held up very well. Sorry mom, but tasers are for your run-of-the-mill violent offenders, not growling naked CITA cannibals.
Ma'am, your naked son was chewing the face off of a homeless man on a public street and growled at the responding officers telling him to stop.
I find no fault in their split second decision that a tazer was not going to have much effect and for the guy getting his face eaten their decision might have spared him more injury. That they managed to kill him without additionally injuring his victim (you own that image, lady) is impressive. Cannot think of a more disturbing scene onto which to arrive and have to immediately act with force.
The way it's being reported in the media, you would think they knew for sure that he was under the influence of these "bath salts". The President of the Fraternal Order of the Police "suspects" something so the headlines are made to read like there's an official autopsy report? Is it not possible that he's just a nut job that needs to be locked away forever?
Quite obviously, he does not need to be locked away any longer.
He read the Bible you say? Well then he couldn't possibly have done anything wrong. Isn't that right, Msgr. Lynn?
It's amazing how every black mother says they're sons are saintly choir boys who won't step on an ant. They won't step on an ant, but they'll eat a guy's face off.
You must not have read the article! He is nice because he gave her a nice mothers day card.... Lol
no kidding. he was a good guy...i don't know any good guys who eats ppl face. he should die at the hands of jessie and al
It has nothing to do with the mother being black! Mothers defend their children, it's what they do. Leave race out of it!
So this is a racial thing now eh? Crazy is crazy.. no matter what skin color. Grow up.
good point. if they were all choir boys jail would be the morman tabernacle choir.
Or kill someone for an ipod
Or they'll kill them for a phone
NOT EVERY black mother...just his
Stupid parents who cause their child's insanity and then rationalize it have no color boundaries.
I'm sure you would like to believe this to be true but I guarantee the only black people you know are through the media and news channels or are just plain undeducated..But then again to you types, ALL blacks are poor and uneducated..
So what do white mothers say?
Idiot..
Not every "black" mother...but every Mother! Obviously something was wrong with this young man, he wasn't known to do anything like that, he went to church, but drugs are a terrible thing. What he did was unconscionable, but this is her son and she has every right to believe in him and to defend him. I pray for everyone involved in this tragic event.
It's called unconditional love. Many mothers are afflicted with the condition.
I know many people that carry their bibles with them, as they are late to work and early to leave. These same quote the bible and pepper their conversations with Amen, Blessed Be and Hallaijuah – often in the same breath curtly addressing a co-worker or client, gossiping, and spending hours on personal phone calls during work hours – chatting it up to mom, sister, etc... These same folks go to church often, but at the same time – plot against each other as they undermine – backstab and etc.... Holding, reading, quoting from a bible means nothing – going to church as much as possible – means nothing. How you live, how you treat others – means ... everything.
Yeah, because White mothers always hold their kids accountable and don't try to make a million excuses for them. Especially white people with money.
You're so pathetic to make such an observation. I'm sure every mother of every white kid who did bad absolutely knew their kid was messed up. Stop with the infantile generalities.
"every black mother says" the operative word is mother. black, white, brown, yellow, shiny pink, they are mothers. Have mercy. Their crime is loving. I quesion to your insensitive remark. It seems to suggest an entirely different agenda.
Uh huh. I think you can apply that to EVERY mom of a criminal, not just black ones. Can the racism.
what does black have to do with anything? as we know most white people eat other people hint jeffrey dahmer who liked minorities. Keep race out of this. Most white parents whose kids shoot up the schools say they were nice to so what are you talking about? Race/Mothers means what everyone says there kids are nice
Almost every mother would say that. Not ...just black mothers, you buffoon.
Well ya, because homeless men aren't real people in GOD's eyes, so apparently it's ok, but GOD Forbid if this guy decided to bite the head off of an animal. Guess that's why there aren't many colored folks at OZZY concerts.
by your deduction, i guess all of us black males are cannibals...
in that case, next time you see a black man coming down the street, turn around and run as fast as you can, before your ignorant self winds up as dinner
flashback to scene from Psycho. Norman sitting in a chair showing he won't kill a fly that landed on him but .....
Not the most intelligent creatures are they?
@Realist: you have no contact at all with reality. "..how every black mother..." Seriously, you are delusional if you actually believe such a statement. It maybe escaped your notice that every white mother of a white criminal also defends her white son. Ever hear of Jeffrey Dahmer? John Wayne Gacy? John Hinkley Jr.? Racists like you seem to forget that crime has no color. Serial killers are typically young white men, but I doubt you'd make any kind of statement about "every white mother calls her son an angel". But you have no hesitation to take the case of this deranged man to spout your racist comments. I'll bet your buddies in Nazi Germany had mothers who thought their sons were really nice guys, too.
"every black mother" ??? SO have you like met all the "black mothers" out there? Man, you get around.
The mother has no right to blame the police officer. Ask herself what she will do if someone is chewing off her son's face. If your son is taking drugs at the age of 30s, it is your failure and shame. Don't always resort to humanity to defend your interest and love. You treat others like crap in this way.
I know i seen him on the tv series "THE WALKING DEAD"
This is what will happen if the democrats or republicans get into office. I mean, wait, this is because Obama hates America but might be because Romney is fake and out of touch. No, it's the loss of family values, I mean the increase in religious nuts. The important things is, it's clearly due to what I oppose.
haha jobraith ... good one.
I'm looking fwd to seeing this kid's photos that I'm sure the family will provide to humanize him in the media.
Here's little Rudy at his high school graduation, "gnawing on his girlfriend's ear".
Little Rudy at age 10, outside the morgue, "looking for leftovers".
It's going to be epic. Thanks in advance CNN.
It's a sad day when most of the comments are either gallows humor or directed at the idiot family. Where is the horror? Where is the empathy for the victim? Where is the outrage over the fact that car after car drove by this scene for 18 minutes without stopping?
That's because most Americans are complete imbeciles. There's a reason why the country is going to spit and it's not just the government and corporations at play. The people are just as much to blame.
At least he wasn't a straight cannibal. Then he would have probably eaten someones face and then denied them their rights because his cannibal handbook told him so.
"somebody did this to him".
Americans, heck, most humans, are weak and ignorant, which is why they blame everyone else.
Look in a mirror. Stop with your whining "the government did this" "the President did that".
Worst of all are the political whiners, who every 4 years vote for 1 candidate/party, then go on to whine about them and say "throw them out". Most voters are so stupid they don't even understand how Congress works anyway, but does that stop them from whining and blaming?
"This athelete makes too much" "Actors shouldn't make this much".
Americans are weak people, blamers and haters. You sound like many Muslims "Its all Americas fault". Blame blame blame, but NEVER an intelligent proposal for a solution. It's always the other guys fault. Weak people.
I just blame the devil for bad things and praise Jesus for the good stuff.
Didn't hear any solutions from you, either. How do you propose to reduce face-eating in the U.S.?
I can't believe this hasn't been turned into a race issue. White cop shooting a black guy...I'm holding my breath.