Corey Comperatore was one of the attendees at Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday, July 13, where the former president was shot by a gunman.
In the attack, Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter, tried to protect members of his family by rushing toward them when shots rang out.
His wife, Helen, and daughters were unharmed, but Comperatore was fatally shot.
“Corey died a hero,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a news conference Sunday.
In the attack, in which the former president was slightly injured, two other attendees were shot.
Pennsylvania State Police said the injured were David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74. Both were in stable condition Sunday.
The suspect in the attack was shot dead by Secret Service agents on Saturday.
He was later identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, a town located regarding 70 kilometers from the site of the attack.
“He loved his family”
Pennsylvania’s governor told reporters on July 14 that he spoke to Comperatore’s wife and two daughters.
“Corey was a father of girls. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community and, most especially, Corey loved his family,” Shapiro said.
“Corey was an avid supporter of former President and I was very excited to be there last night with him in the community,” Shapiro said.
He added: “Last night was shocking… political disagreements can never, ever be addressed through violence.”
State police said Comperatore lived in Sarver, regarding 12 miles from the shooting site outside Pittsburgh.
In addition to his volunteer work as a firefighter, he worked as a project and tool engineer at a plastics manufacturing company, according to his social media profiles.
Gov. Shapiro also said he spoke with the family of one of the injured, but declined to provide details regarding the conversation.
Tragedia personal
Saturday’s shooting shocked the country and the FBI is investigating the attack as attempted murder.
But for the Comperatore family it is a personal tragedy.
“Hate towards one man took the life of the man we loved most,” his older sister, Dawn Comperatore Schafer, wrote in a Facebook post. “This seems like a terrible nightmare, but we know it is our painful reality.”
Also on Facebook, his daughter, Allyson, described him as “the best father a daughter might ask for” and added that he had “died like a real-life superhero.”
“He threw my mother and me to the ground… [y] He protected my body from the bullet that was coming at us,” wrote.
His wife, Helen Comperatore, added: “What my precious girls had to witness is unforgivable.”
A GoFundMe campaign set up for the family has raised more than $830,000.
Tribute to the firefighters
Members of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company in Butler, Pennsylvania, They organised an event in memory of Comperatore, where his firefighting gear was displayed covered in black.
Craig Cirrincione, a firefighter who attended the memorial, said: “He is a great man who deserves honour and respect at the highest level.”
“He wouldn’t have wanted us to sit here and be sad… He would have wanted us to share the good times and think regarding him.”
Randy Reamer, president of the fire company, said Comperatore was an “honest guy” and “a true brother of the fire service.”
“He definitely stood up for what he believed in, he never backed down from anyone,” he added.
Comperatore’s neighbor, Matt Achilles, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “He was a good person. We may not have agreed on the same political views.”but that didn’t stop him from being a good friend and neighbor.”
“He gave us money when I was in the hospital and he always came to our garage sales. He always waved to me when I passed by his house,” Achilles added.
Paul Hayden, 62, another Comperatore resident for 20 years, described it as a “quiet guy” and said that political differences did not interfere with their friendship.
“He knew I was a Biden supporter, I knew he [era] “Trump supporter,” Hayden told NBC News.
“But we never let that come between us. We still say ‘hey’ to each other, we still talk to each other. Some people take it to the extreme.”
At his Sunday, July 14 press conference, Governor Shapiro called for peace.
“My message to all Pennsylvanians, my message to all Americans is to stand firm in your beliefs, to believe in what you believe, to stand up for what you believe in and to participate in the political and civic process, but always do so in a peaceful manner,” he said.
“We must remember that, although we may be Democrats or Republicans, above all things we are Americans.”
The governor ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on all public buildings and grounds.
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