A GoFundMe fundraiser has raised more than $4 million for the families of a former fire chief who was killed and two other men who were critically injured during the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on Saturday.
The online fundraiser, verified by CNN, collected more than 53,200 donations by Monday morning, far surpassing its initial goal of raising $1 million. By lunchtime, the donation total was still growing by the minute.
“President Donald Trump has authorized this account as a place for donations to the supporters and families wounded or killed in today’s brutal and horrific assassination attempt,” the fundraiser reads. “All donations will be directed to these proud Americans as they grieve and recover.”
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Investigators say 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, from Pennsylvania himself, opened fire from the roof a nearby building Saturday evening as Trump addressed rally attendees.
While only a single bullet appeared to graze Trump’s ear, the gunfire fatally struck 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, a father of two who’s been praised as a hero by his family. In his final moments, they said he shielded his wife and daughter after throwing them to the ground at the sound of gunfire.
“He loved his family,” his daughter, Allyson Comperatore, wrote in a Facebook post Sunday. “He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us.”
According to the Pennsylvania State Police, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were also shot during the attack. Both were in “stable” condition on Sunday, officials said, but the GoFundMe will still gift money to their families to help cover medical bills.
