Former fire chief identified as spectator killed during Trump rally shooting
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The rally-goer who was killed at Donald Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania campaign event-turned-deadly shooting was identified as 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, according to his sister.
“The PA Trump Rally claimed the life of my brother, Corey Comperatore,” Dawn Comperatore Schafer wrote on Facebook on Sunday morning.
Authorities announced one spectator had died on Saturday evening.
She said her younger brother had just turned 50, and posted a photo of him with her family holding up 5 and 0 balloons.
“The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most. He was a hero that shielded his daughters. His wife and girls just lived through the unthinkable and unimaginable,” she continued. “Hatred has no limits and love has no bounds. Pray for my sister-in-law, nieces, my mother, sister, me and his nieces and nephews as this feels like a terrible nightmare but we know it is our painful reality.”
The shooting — now considered an assassination attempt against Trump — left the former president wounded, two spectators injured, and Comperatore killed. The other two rally-goers have not been identified.
Comperatore was a fire chief but recently retired, WPXI reported.
He was a project and tooling engineer at JSP and lived in Sarver, Pennsylvania, according to his social media profiles.
The suspected shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by authorities. He reportedly used an AR-15-type semi-automatic rifle in the attack.
Follow our live blog for updates on the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump
The former president has said he is “fine” and was shot in the ear. He thanked God for preventing the “unthinkable from happening.”
About 15 minutes into Trump’s rally, multiple shots ripped through the venue, prompting the GOP candidate to drop behind his podium.
Secret Security agents rushed to the stage and helped Trump to his feet. The former president defiantly pumped his fist in the air, revealing a trail of blood on his face, before being rushed offstage.
A GoFundMe page has been setup for Comperatore’s daughter. It has already raised more than $70,000 as of Sunday afternoon.
Kind words about the shooting victim have poured in on social media.
“I am without words today,” one user wrote in a Facebook post. The loss of a brother runs very deep and I can only imagine how the rest of the family is feeling From us skipping school to go hunting or fishing to scratching for change for gas money the memories are endless. Corey Comperatore was a great man that loved his family fiercely and did the same with god. A true heart of gold and he caught small fish to!!God Speed brother! We will meet again soon……”
“He is a true warrior. A amazing father. One of the best manicured lawns in the sarver valley. RIP,” another wrote.
