On Saturday (13th July, local time), a 20-year-old man named Thomas James Crooks carried out an assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump during an election rally in Pennsylvania. The attack left one spectator killed and two others injured.
The deceased has now been identified as 50-year-old Corey Comperatore. A former fire chief in Buffalo Township and a vocal supporter of Trump, Corey jumped in front of his daughter and wife to shield them from the assassin’s bullets.
While speaking about the incident on Sunday (14th July, local time), Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro remarked, “We lost a fellow Pennsylvanian last night: Corey Comperatore…Corey was a girl dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday.”
NEW: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro shares new details about spectator killed during Trump rally. pic.twitter.com/39jQ2LQyLj
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 14, 2024
“Corey loved his community. And most especially, Corey loved his family. Corey died a hero. He dove on his family to protect them last night at this rally…Corey was the very best of us. May his memory be a blessing,” Shapiro emphasised.
Allyson, the daughter of Corey Comperatore, detailed the heroics of her father when faced with imminent threats to their lives.
“The media will not tell you that he died a real-life super hero. 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. He loved his family. He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us. And I want nothing more than to cry on him and tell him thank you,” she said in a heartfelt Facebook post.
Allyson thanked her deceased father for his selflessness and for being the “best dad a girl could ask for”. She concluded, “Dad, I love you so much that there aren’t enough words to express how deep that love goes. I know you’ll give heaven some hell. I know that God is proud
of the man that came to His gates yesterday.”
Hours before his death, Corey Comperatore had posted about going to the Trump rally held in Pennsylvania.
Trump rally! Butler, PA
— Corey Comperatore (@Corey_Comper) July 13, 2024
The deceased was a vocal critic of Joe Biden and his fearmongering tactics against Donald Trump.
In December last year, the incumbent US President had tweeted, “Trump poses many threats to our country: The right to choose, civil rights, voting rights, and America’s standing in the world. But the greatest threat he poses is to our democracy. If we lose that, we lose everything.
Corey Comperatore did not mince words before lambasting Joe Biden and said, “We are not stupid people. Stop talking to us as if we are.”
The former fire chief had also made it clear, in one of his tweets, that he would rather save Russian PM Vladimir Putin instead of Democrats.
The pro-Trump supporter was politically incorrect. He often took potshots at the Democratic Party’s delusional gender politics and appeasement of pro-Hamas cheerleaders in the United States.
I pass that everyday. The one slide a week ago said, "F*ck Hamas and the camel they rode in on". The guy that owns it is great!
— Corey Comperatore (@Corey_Comper) May 7, 2024
As evident from his tweets, Corey Comperatore was against the United States providing military aid to Ukraine to fight Russia.
In 2023, former United States Secretary of state Mike Pompeo claimed that America would lose if Ukraine lost the war to Russia. “The least costly way to move forward is to provide Ukraine with the weapons needed to win and end the war,” he had claimed.
A true American at heart, Corey Comperatore had questioned the stance of the Republican and inquired, “And what exactly will our great loss?”
“Send the illegal immigrants to Ukraine and let them fight for freedom. Let’s see how bad they really want it,” he had tweeted in May last year.
Corey Comperatore was murdered during yesterday’s assassination attempt of President Donald J. Trump.
— Joseph D. McBride, Esq. (@McBrideLawNYC) July 14, 2024
Corey, was one of us. His name must never be forgotten. Rest in peace, brother. pic.twitter.com/9vB0V541Pi
In his memory, the Volunteer Fire Department in Buffalo Township put the fire fighting gear of Corey Comperatore on full public display.
The Volunteer Fire Department in Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania is Displaying the Gear of their Former Fire Chief, Corey Comperatore who was Killed at yesterday’s Trump Campaign Rally in Butler County while Shielding his Daughters from Bullets fired by the Shooter, during the… pic.twitter.com/GAyRtXmB4w
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 15, 2024
At the time of writing, people had donated a whopping $813,146 (~₹6.79 crores) to the family of Corey Comperatore through a GoFundMe campaign.
