Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – Exclusive: A volunteer firefighter who died trying to shield his family from a sniper’s bullet aimed at former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, is being remembered as a selfless “girl dad” and church-going family man who always put others before himself.
Corey Comperatore, 50, died Saturday night while trying to shield his wife and family from gunfire after a 20-year-old man crept onto a roof and began firing at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“This is typical of him to protect his wife and daughter, to hear gunfire and to jump on them,” said Eileen Shamanski, who grew up playing soccer with Comperatore’s daughters.
Victim at Trump rally identified as Corey Comperatore, ‘hero’ who shielded his wife and daughters from bullets
Former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore is pictured with his daughters in an undated family photo after Thomas Matthew Crooks, a suspected assassin of former President Donald Trump, shot and killed Comperatore during a gunfight at a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, authorities said. Secret Service agents returned fire, killing Crooks. (Helen Comperatore/Facebook)
“He was a really good guy who was always helping and supporting not only his own kids, but all of my daughter’s friends’ and teammates’ kids,” she told Fox News Digital. “He had a give-it-all attitude. [and] A lot of kids looked up to him because he was always there to support them and offer words of encouragement. He will be greatly missed.”
She said their families had been close for many years because of their daughters’ shared hobby of playing road soccer, and that Mr. Comperatore never missed a game or practice, even though he worked long hours and volunteered to fight fires in his free time.
“When his daughters called me crying, at first I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “Then I saw on the news that his wife and daughters were taking care of him. It was so hard to watch. I was so sad. But I know that if push came to shove, he would do it again in a heartbeat.”
“…If that happened, he would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Pennsylvania Trump rally shooting suspect photographed after assassination attempt
This undated photo provided by the Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania, Volunteer Fire Department shows former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore, who was shot and killed Saturday at a campaign rally for former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Buffalo Township Fire Department via The Associated Press)
“It makes a difference when you’re in the stands cheering,” she said. “You could see the look on his face. He opened up to his daughters. He went to the away games. He and his wife were always there cheering for them.”
She said both her daughters are now in their 20s.
“My father taught his children to be strong, and I’m sure they will help their mother get through this,” she said.
“You taught your children to be strong, so I’m sure they’ll help you get through this…”
A memorial to volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, a participant who was killed in a shooting at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump, is displayed at Buffalo Township Fire Company 27 in Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania, USA, on July 14, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
A Secret Service agent shot and killed the suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, seconds after the first shot was fired, before killing Comperatore and wounding two other bystanders, authorities said.
Trump himself said the bullet had partially pierced his right ear and was photographed with blood running down the side of his head as he was escorted off the stage by police, pumping his fist before entering his motorcade, to cheers from the crowd.
Trump rally security revealed in assassination attempt
An undated photo of Corey Comperatore celebrating his 50th birthday. Comperatore, a former fire chief, was shot and killed at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Allison Comperatore/Facebook)
“Cory died a hero,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters on Saturday after speaking with Comperatore’s wife, Helen. “Cory did everything in his power to protect his family.”
In a post made private on Sunday, his daughter Allison remembered him as “the best dad a girl could want.”
“He loved his family. He loved us so much that he would take a bullet for us.”
An aerial photo taken on July 14, 2024 in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, shows police vehicles working at the home of Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, the man the FBI has named as a suspect in the attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Crooks is the man the FBI has named as a suspect. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
“The media doesn’t tell you that he died as a real-life superhero,” she continued. “They don’t tell you how quickly he slammed me and my mother to the ground. They don’t tell you how he shielded me from bullets flying towards us.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
Comperatore was an engineer and a volunteer firefighter, he attended church every Sunday and, many said, was quick to help anyone.
An undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspect in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Fox News Digital Law Enforcement Source)
The FBI is acting as lead investigator in the shooting, and authorities said Sunday that a motive is unknown and that Crooks has no record of a criminal history or mental illness.
But authorities said they found bomb-making materials in the suspect’s car and were focusing on recovering data from cellphone records.
The Bethel Park School District has confirmed that the gunman responsible for the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump was a Bethel Park High School graduate. Thomas Matthew Crooks was a member of the 2022 class of Bethel Park High School. (Bethel Park School District)
“What we witnessed yesterday was nothing less than an attack on democracy and our democratic process,” FBI Director Christopher Wray told reporters on a conference call Sunday. “An attempted assassination of a presidential candidate is nothing short of despicable and will not be tolerated in this country.”
The attack drew widespread condemnation from leaders around the world across the political spectrum.
Fox News’ Jordan Early contributed to this report.
