Corey Comperatore, a beloved former fire chief, was identified as the rally attendee who was fatally caught in the crossfire of Donald Trump’s assassination attempt, with loved ones writing he was shielding his wife and daughter when he was struck by a rifleman’s bullet.
The identity of Comperatore, 50, became public Sunday morning after a pair of posts from his wife, Helen Comperatore, and daughter, Allyson Comperatore, detailed their loved one’s chaotic final moments and their heartbreak.
Allyson wrote that her father died “a real-life superhero,” reacting quickly to throw her and her mom to the ground when gunfire rang out.
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“He shielded my body from the bullet that came at us,” she posted to Facebook. “He loved his family. He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us.”
Helen concurred, writing that her husband died being “the hero he always was.”
She added that Comperatore, like her, had been ecstatic to attend Trump’s rally in western Pennsylvania. It was to have been Trump’s final campaign stop before the RNC, and came as he was gaining momentum in swing states amid Joe Biden’s repeated flubs on the national stage.
Trump supporters immediately beside the wounded Comperatore asked for help, including Dr. Jim Sweetland, who was seen pointing down at Comperatore immediately before providing medical help himself.
Jeff Swensen/Getty ImagesAn evening of jubilance quickly turned to horror, however, after the 20-year-old Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop, where he’d inexplicably perched himself atop of without the Secret Service noticing.
Crooks, who was quickly gunned down after opening fire, did not deliver the fatal blow to Trump he’d hoped, but one of the missed shots struck Comperatore as he shielded his family. Trump’s ear was injured and his face bloodied, but he was ultimately deemed to be fine.
A bloodied Donald Trump raises his fist seconds after his ear was injured by a 20-year-old gunman.
Reuters/Brendan McDermid“What turned out to be such an exciting day, for my husband especially, turned into a nightmare for our family,” Helen wrote. “What my precious girls had to witness is unforgivable. What I had to was.”
Loved ones said Comperatore was once the the volunteer fire chief for Buffalo Township in rural western Pennsylvania. A LinkedIn page for the family man said he’d worked at a plastic manufacturing plant for nearly 30 years—most recently as an engineer.
A GoFundMe was launched early Sunday to raise funds for Comperatore’s family. By lunchtime, it’d already raised $140,000.
“I want nothing more than to cry on him and tell him thank you,” Allyson wrote. “I want nothing more than to wake up and for this not to be reality for me and my family. I will never stop thinking about him and mourning over him until the day that I die, too.”
