The Very Best Of Us: Firefighter killed in shooting at Trump rally

Corey Comperatore, a father of two daughters, was killed when he dived in front of his family to save them from the gunman’s bullets.

July 14, 2024, 8:26 p.m. EDT | Updated July 14, 2024, 8:32 p.m. EDT

BUTLER, PA — Corey Comperatore died a hero while protecting his family from bullets intended for former President Donald Trump.

He was attending a campaign rally in Butler on Saturday when a gunman opened fire on the event from an elevated position outside the venue, authorities said. Comperatore was killed as he threw himself in front of his relatives to protect them. Trump was shot in the ear, the former president said.

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“The hatred of a man took the life of the man we loved most,” Comperatore’s sister Dawn Comperatore Schafer wrote on Facebook. “He was a hero who protected his daughters. His wife and daughters just experienced the unthinkable and unimaginable.”

Comperatore, a Butler County resident, had just turned 50, his sister wrote. He worked as a project and tool engineer and was a former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department, where he served for more than 20 years.

READ MORE: Trump rally shooter acted alone, but motive still a mystery

Governor Josh Shapiro ordered U.S. and Commonwealth flags flown at half-mast and said Sunday he had spoken to Comperatore’s wife and two daughters.

“Corey was a girl dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. And most of all, Corey loved his family,” Shapiro said in a video posted on social media. “Corey was the very best of us.”

Comperatore was also an avid Trump supporter. The former president sent his condolences to the family, as did President Joe Biden.

“He was a father. He protected his family from the bullets that were fired and he lost his life, God bless him,” Biden said.

At least two other people were injured: David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. Both were in stable condition on Sunday. The Secret Service killed the shooter, the agency said.

“The loss of a brother is profound and I can only imagine how the rest of the family feels,” Steven Warheit wrote on social media. “From us skipping school to go hunting or fishing to scraping together change for gas money, the memories are endless.”

“Corey Comperatore was a great man who loved his family deeply and did the same for God.”

A GoFundMe campaign to support the family had raised nearly $700,000 by Sunday evening.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.