Corey Comperatore, the volunteer firefighter who was killed shielding his family from a sniper’s bullets during the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is being celebrated as a selfless family man and community member.
Comperatore, 50, died Saturday night while protecting his wife and family from gunfire. A sniper had managed to sneak onto a roof and open fire on former President Trump. He only struck the president’s ear, but three bystanders were more seriously wounded.
Eileen Shamanski, whose children grew up with Comperatore’s daughters, described his actions as characteristic of his selfless nature. “It’s just so typical of him, protecting his wife and daughter by throwing himself on top of them when the shooting started,” Shamanski said.
The Christian family man’s friends and relations have been left devastated by the incident. Shamanski noted that despite Comperatore’s demanding schedule as an engineer and volunteer firefighter, he never missed his daughters’ soccer events. She expressed disbelief upon hearing the news from her daughters, who called her in tears.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro called Comperatore a hero, saying he “dove on his family to protect them.” Allyson Comperatore, one of his daughters, shared a heartfelt tribute to her father, describing 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,” she said.
“Corey put everyone and everything first before himself. It showed in his leadership as Fire Chief, Husband, Father, and Son. He died a hero because he was a hero. Putting others first,” concurred Mark Lauer, former president of the Butler County Fire Chiefs Association.
A fundraiser for Comperatore’s family had raised around $850,000 as of the time of publication.
