The wife and daughters of Corey Comperatore, the victim of the assassination attempt on former President Trump, gave their first formal interview since he was shot and killed at a rally for the former president in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
Comperatore, 50, a former volunteer fire chief, was the only victim of the attempted assassination of the former president to die from his injuries.
“He was definitely a hero. He saved his wife, he saved his kids, he was just a great guy,” said Helen Comperatore, Mr. Comperatore’s wife of 29 years. He told WTAE.
Helen added that her husband was an “amazing man” and that she wanted the world to remember him for who he was, and not just as “the guy who got shot at a rally”.
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An undated family photo shows former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore with his daughters. (Helen Comperatore/Facebook)
“Please remember Corey as a great man, a great father and a great husband.”
His daughter, Kaylee, recalled security failures at the rally that led to her father’s death.
“[B]They have a disaster on their hands.”
“I just [security] “It really makes me sad to know that they have my father’s blood on their hands,” she told WTAE. “I hope that every day they think about what was taken from their family. We have to wake up every day and have our father in our heads, and no child should have to see that.”
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Volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, center, who was shot and killed at a rally for former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, is pictured in this undated Buffalo Township Fire Department 27 handout photo. (Buffalo Township Fire Department/Distributed via Reuters)
Comperatore’s other daughter, Allison, remembered the moment her father used his body to shield her from the gunfire.
“I was the one he threw off, and as he was throwing me off he got shot and fell on top of me,” she said. “I don’t think I heard any other gunshots. I was trying to help my dad at the time and I was totally confused when he fell on top of me.”
District Attorney Butler said local snipers were not responsible for the rooftop shooter.
Volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, center, who was shot and killed at a rally for former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, is pictured in this undated Buffalo Township Fire Department 27 handout photo. (Buffalo Township Fire Department/Distributed via Reuters)
“I turned around and yelled, ‘Dad,’ and he fell down. That’s when I started screaming and trying to stop him from bleeding out,” she continued.
Caylee also remembers screaming and said she initially thought she was dreaming.
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A memorial to volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, a participant killed in a shooting at a campaign rally for former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, is displayed at Buffalo Township Fire Company 27 in Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania, on July 14, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
“Then you realize it’s not a dream and you feel like your whole world has ended,” she said.
Comperatore for 10 years United States Army His name was Reserve, according to his obituary. He loved to go fishing every weekend, rain or shine, and he loved his family, Helen told WTAE.
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A bronze statue stands in front of the Buffalo Township Fire Department in Thurber, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, July 28, 2024. The statue is surrounded by flowers and flags in memory of Fire Chief Corey Comperatore, who was shot and killed at a rally for former President Trump in Butler on July 13. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
A week after the assassination attempt, President Trump paid tribute to the fallen firefighter at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, displaying Comperatore’s fire jacket and helmet onstage.
Helen told WTAE it was a “great honor” for Trump to honor her husband at the Republican National Convention.
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Republican presidential nominee and former president Trump touches the turnout gear of former Buffalo Township Fire Department Chief Corey Comperatore during the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Reuters/Gina Moon)
“Throughout the rally, my husband kept saying, ‘He’s calling me up on stage. I can hear him. He’s saying Corey, come over here!’ Of course, he was just joking,” she explained.
When Trump went onstage to pay tribute to Comperatore, the family thought, “His moment had come. He was onstage,” Helen said.
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The Comperatore family has hired an attorney to obtain justice for their beloved husband and father.
“I want justice for my husband and I’m going to get it,” Helen said.
