Corey Comperatore, Firefighter Victim of Trump Rally, Dies Shielding Family From Bullets

Corey Comperatore, the man killed in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday, was a firefighter who died protecting his family from the sniper’s bullets.

“I just spoke to Corey’s wife and his two daughters,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told CNN. “Corey was a father of daughters. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. Most importantly, Corey loved his family.”

Shapiro added that Comperatore’s wife said he died a hero and that the governor asked that flags be flown at half-staff in Comperatore’s memory.

“He protected my body from the bullet that hit us,” the victim’s daughter, Allyson Comperatore, wrote on Facebook Sunday. “He loved his family. He loved us enough to take a real bullet for us. And all I want is to cry for him and say thank you. All I want is to wake up and have that reality no longer exist for me and my family.”

Comperatore’s sister Dawn also posted on Facebook: “He was a hero who protected his daughters. His wife and daughters have experienced the unthinkable and unimaginable. My little brother just turned 50 and has so much more to live for.”

A GoFundMe page set up to support Allyson and the Comperatore family had already raised more than $270,000 as of Sunday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the FBI identified the shooter at the Trump rally as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who was later found to also have explosive materials in his car and his Pennsylvania home.

Crooks was fatally shot by Secret Service officers during the incident, which left Comperatore dead and two other rally attendees seriously injured, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Former President Trump was shot in the right ear but was not seriously injured.

Originally published: July 14, 2024 at 2:44 p.m.