BETHEL PARK, Pa. – EXCLUSIVE: Volunteer firefighter who died protecting family from sniper’s bullets aimed at former president Donald Trump At a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, he was remembered as a selfless “girl dad” and a practicing family man who put others before himself every day.
Corey Comperatore, 50, died Saturday night while shielding his wife and family from gunfire after a 20-year-old man sneaked onto a rooftop and began shooting at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“It’s very typical of him, the way this whole thing happened, he protected his wife and daughter and jumped on them when they heard the gunshots,” said Eileen Shamanski, whose children grew up playing soccer alongside Comperatore’s daughters.
TRUMP RALLY VICTIM IDENTIFIED AS COREY COMPERATORE, ‘HERO’ PROTECTED WIFE, DAUGHTERS FROM BULLETS
Former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore is pictured with his daughters in an undated family photo. Authorities say Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, struck and killed Comperatore in the crossfire. Secret Service agents returned fire, killing Crooks. (Helen Comperatore/Facebook)
“He was a great guy who was always there to lend a helping hand and support not only his own kids but all the other kids who were friends with their daughters and were on the team,” she told Fox News Digital. “He had a give-it-all attitude, (and) a lot of kids looked up to him for that, he was always there to support them, give them pep talks to keep them going. It’s going to be a big loss.”
Their families have been close for years because of their daughters’ shared interest in travel soccer, she said. The comperatore worked long hours and volunteered to fight flames in his spare time, he never missed a game or practice, she said.
“At first we didn’t believe it was true when my daughters called me in tears,” she said. “Then we saw his wife and daughter on the news, taking care of him. It was really sad to see, so sad, but I know he would have done it again in a heartbeat if that had been the case.”
“…he would have done it again in a heartbeat if it had been necessary.”
TRUMP PENNSYLVANIA TIRADE SUSPECT PICTURED AFTER DEADLY ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
This undated photo provided by the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department in Pennsylvania shows former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore. Comperatore was killed in a shooting at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. (Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department via AP)
“It makes a difference to be there in the stands cheering them on,” she said. “The girls, you could see it in their faces, they would confide in him, and he would travel to away tournaments. Him and his wife were always there, always there to support them.”
The two girls They are now in their twenties, she said.
“He taught them to be strong, so I’m sure they’ll be there to help their mother through this,” she said.
“He taught them to be strong, so I’m sure they’ll be there to help their mother through this…”
A memorial for volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, an attendee killed in a shooting at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump, is on display at Buffalo Township Fire Company 27 in Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 14, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
Secret Service agents shot the suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, moments after he fired his first shot. But not before he killed Comperatore and wounded two other bystanders, authorities said.
Trump himself said a bullet went through his right ear and he was photographed with blood on the side of his head as officers led him off stage. Before joining his motorcade, he raised his fist, prompting cheers from the crowd.
Trump assassination attempt highlights rally security
An undated image of Corey Comperatore celebrating his 50th birthday. Comperatore, a former fire chief, was killed in a shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Allyson/Facebook Companion)
“Corey died a hero” Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro told reporters Saturday after speaking with Comperatore’s wife, Helen, “Corey threw himself at his family to protect them.”
In a post Sunday by one of his daughters, Allyson, which was no longer public, she remembered him as “the best father a girl could ask for.”
“He loved his family. He really loved us enough to take a bullet for us.”
An aerial view shows vehicles of law enforcement officers working at the home of Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, named by the FBI as the shooter in the attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump, in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 14, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
“The media won’t tell you he died a superhero,” she continued. “They won’t tell you how fast he threw my mother and me to the ground. They won’t tell you he shielded my body from the bullet that hit us.”
Comperatore was an engineer and volunteer firefighter. He attended church every Sunday and, according to many accounts, would help anyone at the drop of a hat.
Undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Fox News Digital Law Enforcement Source)
The FBI has assumed the role of lead investigator in the shooting probe. Authorities said Sunday that they have no known motive, and that Crooks has no criminal record and no documented history of mental illness.
But authorities said they found bomb-making materials in his vehicle and were working to recover data from his phone records.
The Bethel Park School District can confirm that the shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump on July 13, 2024, graduated from Bethel Park High School. Thomas Matthew Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School with the Class of 2022. (Bethel Park School District)
“What we witnessed yesterday was nothing less than an attack on democracy and our democratic process,” FBI Director “An assassination attempt on a presidential candidate can only be described as absolutely despicable and will not be tolerated in this country,” Christopher Wray said in a conference call Sunday.
The attack drew widespread condemnation from world leaders across the political spectrum.
Fox News’ Jordan Early contributed to this report.
