Man killed at Trump rally identified as firefighter Corey Comperatore, who ‘died a hero’
By Zoe Sottile, Kit Maher and Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN
(CNN) — Friends and neighbors are remembering firefighter Corey Comperatore – the 50-year-old man shot and killed during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump – as a family man who served his community and was quick to help friends in need.
Comperatore was one of the thousands of people who attended the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, part of Trump’s 2024 reelection effort. He died trying to protect his family, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro. Pennsylvania State Police confirmed his identity on Sunday.
Two other spectators were seriously wounded in Saturday’s attack, and the gunman was killed by Secret Service agents at the scene after the shooting. The FBI is investigating the attack as an assassination attempt, the agency said.
Shapiro, who directed flags to be flown at half-staff in Comperatore’s memory, said he spoke to Comperatore’s wife and two daughters Sunday.
An avid Trump supporter who was excited to be at the rally, Comperatore dove on his family to protect them from the gunfire, Shapiro said.
“Corey was a girl dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. Most especially, Corey loved his family,” said Shapiro.
In an interview with the New York Post on Monday, Helen Comperatore, the widow of Corey Comperatore, shared her husband’s last words, spoken as he shielded his family from bullets that ultimately took his life.
“He’s my hero,” Helen Comperatore said. “He just said, ‘Get down!’ That was the last thing he said.”
Comperatore also is survived by daughters Allyson and Kaylee, his mother, two sisters and a stepbrother, according to an obituary posted by Redmond Funeral Home in Freeport, Pennsylvania.
Mike Morehouse, who lived next to Comperatore for years, told The Associated Press he counts Comperatore as a hero and intends to vote in the upcoming election in his memory.
“As soon as I heard what happened and then learned that it was to Corey, I went upstairs as soon as I got home and I registered to vote,” Morehouse told the AP. “This is the first time I’ve ever voted and I think it will be in his memory.”
Other victims are stable at a hospital
The two rallygoers who were wounded – David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania – are stable, state police said Sunday in a news release.
Copenhaver’s family released a statement Tuesday through Allegheny General Hospital, saying he was in critical condition but stable. They denounced the shooting as a “horrible, senseless, and unnecessary act of violence.”
Copenhaver was praying for “a safe and speedy recovery” for the other victims, their families and the former president, the family statement reads.
The Marine Corps League of Pennsylvania, Inc. identified Dutch as a commandant in their organization’s location in Westmoreland County. Vice Commandant Matt Popovich said on Facebook Dutch underwent two surgeries after being “shot in the liver and chest.”
“These victims and their families are certainly in our thoughts today,” said state police commissioner Col. Christopher Paris. “The Pennsylvania State Police continue to work tirelessly alongside our federal, state and local partners as this investigation continues.”
The former president was shot in his right ear, he said on social media, leaving his face streaked with blood.
A GoFundMe campaign for the victims’ families, verified by the fundraising platform, had raised more than $5 million as of Tuesday evening, more than triple its initial goal. More than 63,000 donations have poured in, according to the website.
A separate GoFundMe campaign for Comperatore’s family, also verified by the platform, collected more than $1.1 million by Tuesday evening. That campaign, organized by a man who described himself as a neighbor and friend, had an initial goal of $7,000.
‘It was going to be a nice day with family,’ widow tells paper
Helen Comperatore told the New York Post she and Corey were childhood sweethearts and about to celebrate their 29th wedding anniversary when the family headed to the rally to support Trump.
“Me and the kids were all there as a family,” she said. “He was just excited. It was going to be a nice day with the family.”
Describing her late husband to the newspaper as a “simple man,” Helen Comperatore said he put “his wife and kids first all the time.”
“I didn’t lift a finger,” she said. “He did everything.”
His obituary said his life was guided by his faith, and he inspired others to live with purpose and grace.
“Corey’s legacy is not just in the major milestones he achieved but in the small acts of kindness that marked his everyday life,” the obituary says. “He was quick to help those in need, never expecting anything in return, and his impact on the lives he touched was profound.”
Trump has spoken with Helen Comperatore, she said on her private Facebook page Tuesday, according to the New York Post. CNN has reached out to the Comperatore family to verify the post.
“President Trump called me to share his condolences,” the post reportedly said. “He was very kind and said he would continue to call me in the days and weeks ahead.”
“I told him the same thing I told everyone else. He left this world a hero and God welcome him in. He did not die in vain that day,” she added, according to the New York Post.
When Trump was asked by the New York Post this weekend whether he was considering attending Comperatore’s funeral, he said yes. The funeral home obituary said details of that event are private.
Trump’s call comes after the widow told the New York Post on Monday that President Joe Biden did try to call her after the shooting, but she doesn’t want to speak to him. “My husband was a devout Republican, and he would not have wanted me to talk to him.”
However, Helen Comperatore added she does not hold the current president responsible for what happened to her family.
“I don’t have any ill-will towards Joe Biden,” she said. “I’m not one of those people that gets involved in politics. I support Trump, that’s who I’m voting for, but I don’t have ill-will towards Biden.”
“He didn’t do anything to my husband. A 20-year-old despicable kid did,” she continued.
Speaking Sunday afternoon, Biden expressed his condolences to Comperatore’s family.
“We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed,” the president said. “He was a father; he was protecting his family from the bullets being fired when he lost his life. God love him. We are also praying for the full recovery of those who were injured.”
A community in mourning
The Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company hung Comperatore’s uniform outside the fire station Sunday in a memorial to his life.
“Our company is dealing with a tragic loss that not only is affecting our members, but this community and Corey’s family and friends,” the fire company said on Facebook, also calling Comperatore “a brother, son, husband, father and friend.”
Matthew Achilles, who lived near Comperatore, told CNN affiliate WTAE, “He was a real good guy. He really was. You hear stories all the time that it’s always the good ones that end up getting taken out, and unfortunately, that’s what happened.”
“He helped us out when I was real sick a couple years ago. I was in the hospital and almost died. Corey was one of the first people to message me and say ‘Hey, how can I help you,’” Achilles said.
Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said in a statement, “Comperatore’s selfless act in the face of danger speaks to his strength of character, deep faith, and dedication to serving others.”
“Let us also take this moment to pray for unity and an end to violence and inflammatory rhetoric in our community and across our nation,” he said.
In the outpouring of sympathy, many have highlighted Comperatore’s dedication to the community he served.
“Corey Comperatore died a hero, the way he lived, shielding his family from gunfire. He was a former fire chief, a proud father and loving husband. We will pray for his family. May he rest in peace,” Robert Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, told CNN in a statement Sunday.
The Buffalo Township Board of Supervisors condemned political violence in a statement to CNN Sunday.
“Corey was a dedicated husband, father, friend, and volunteer to the community, and will be sorely missed,” the statement said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Kate Sullivan, Jamiel Lynch, Rebekah Riess, Chris Boyette, Bob Ortega, Sara Smart, Andrew Millman and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
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