Trump: Man killed at Trump rally died shielding his family when gunshots rang out
On Saturday, July 13, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks brazenly attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He failed, but one man was killed. That man has now been identified.
The man is 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, a firefighter and father of two daughters from Sarver, Pennsylvania, according to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Comperatore is dead today because he rushed to shield his wife and daughters when he heard gunshots, according to his wife.
“Corey was an avid supporter of the former president and was so excited to be there last night with him in the community,” Shapiro said.
“Loving man, down to earth, family first kind of guy. Church-going man,” said Craig Cirrincione, who worked at the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company with Comperatore.
“Loved his family. Do anything for anyone. I mean, volunteered here for years,” Cirrincione told ABC News.
Cirrincione said he wasn’t surprised Comperatore sacrificed himself to save his family, adding, “It wouldn’t even surprise me for a complete stranger.”
Two other people are now in stable condition after being critically wounded in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, authorities said.
Pennsylvania State Police identified the two injured victims as 57-year-old David Dutch from New Kensington and 74-year-old James Copenhaver of Moon Township.
“These victims and their families are certainly in our thoughts today,” said Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris. “The Pennsylvania State Police continue to work tirelessly alongside our federal, state, and local partners as this investigation continues.”
Trump expressed condolences for the victims and their families in a post on TruthSocial.
“We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed,” he wrote Sunday.
In a briefing Sunday, July 14, President Joe Biden extended his “deepest condolences” to Comperatore’s family.
“He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired, and he lost his life. God love him,” Biden said.
