Former fire chief died protecting family at Trump rally
Fox News correspondent CB Cotton reports on the death of Trump rallygoer Corey Comperatore on 'Special Report.'
BETHEL PARK, Penn. – EXCLUSIVE: The volunteer firefighter who died shielding his family from a sniper's bullets intended for former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania is being remembered as a selfless "girl dad" and churchgoing family man who put others before himself on a regular basis.
Corey Comperatore, 50, died Saturday night while shielding his wife and family from gunfire after a 20-year-old man snuck onto a roof and started shooting at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"It's just so typical of him, the way it all happened, with protecting his wife and his daughter and just throwing himself on top of them when they hear the shooting," said Eileen Shamanski, whose children grew up playing soccer alongside Comperatore's daughters.
TRUMP RALLY VICTIM IDENTIFIED AS COREY COMPERATORE, ‘HERO’ SHIELDED WIFE AND GIRLS FROM BULLETS
Former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore 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, Saturday, struck and killed Comperatore in the crossfire. Secret Service agents returned fire, killing Crooks. (Helen Comperatore/Facebook)
"He was an all around good guy that was always there to lend a hand and support not just his own children but all the other kids who were friends of their girls and on the team," she told Fox News Digital. "He had a just give it your all attitude, [and] a lot of kids respected him for that, just always being there supporting, giving those pep talks to get them going. It's going to be a big loss."
Their families have been close for years due to their girls' common interest in travel soccer, she said. And although Comperatore worked long hours and volunteered to battle flames in his downtime, he never missed a game or a practice, she said.
"We didn't think it was true at first, when my daughters called me crying," she said. "Then we saw his wife and daughter on the news, when they were tending to him – it was just a sad thing to see, so sad, but I know he would've done it again in a heartbeat if it came down to it."
"…he would've done it again in a heartbeat if it came down to it."
PENNSYLVANIA TRUMP RALLY SHOOTING SUSPECT PICTURED AFTER DEADLY ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
This undated photo provided by the Buffalo Township, Pa., Volunteer Fire Company shows former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore. Comperatore was killed during a shooting at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., on Saturday. (Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company via AP)
"It makes a difference when you're there in the stands to cheer them on," she said. "The girls, you could see it in their faces, they just opened up with him, and he would travel for away tournaments. Him and his wife were always there, always being there to support them."
Both daughters are in their 20s now, she said.
"He taught them to be strong, so I'm sure they'll be there to help their mom work through this," she said.
"He taught them to be strong, so I'm sure they'll be there to help their mom work through this,…"
A memorial for volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, an attendee killed during gunfire at a campaign rally of Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump, is displayed at the Buffalo Township Fire Company 27 in Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 14, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
Secret Service agents shot and killed the suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, within moments of his first shot. But not before he killed Comperatore and wounded two more bystanders, according to authorities.
Trump himself said a bullet tore through part of his right ear and was pictured with blood on the side of his head as agents led him offstage. Before he got into his motorcade, he raised a fist, prompting cheers from the crowd.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SHINES LIGHT ON 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 Comperatore/Facebook)
"Corey died a hero," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters on Saturday, after speaking with Comperatore's wife Helen. "Corey dove on his family to protect them."
In a post from one of his daughter's Allyson, that was no longer public Sunday, she remembered him as "the best dad a girl could ask for."
"He loved his family. He truly loved us enough to take a bullet for us."
An aerial view shows vehicles of law enforcement members who work at the home of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, 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 will not tell you that he died a real-life super hero," she continued. "They are not going to tell you how quickly he threw my mom and I to the ground. They are not going to tell you that he shielded my body from the bullet that came at us."
Comperatore was an engineer and a volunteer firefighter. He attended church every Sunday and by many accounts would help out anyone in a heartbeat.
Undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Fox News Digital law enforcement source)
The FBI has taken on the role of lead investigator into the shooting. Authorities said Sunday they had no known motive, Crooks had no criminal record or documented history of mental illness.
But authorities said they did found bomb-making materials in his vehicle, and that they were focused on retrieving data from his phone records.
Bethel Park School District can confirm that the shooter in the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump is a graduate of 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 short of an attack on democracy and our democratic process," FBI Director Christopher Wray told reporters on a conference call Sunday. "An attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate can only be described as absolutely despicable and will not be tolerated in this country."
The attack prompted widespread condemnation from leaders around the world, across political lines.
Fox News' Jordan Early contributed to this report.
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