By Mike Wendling, BBC News
Photo: AFP / Getty Images
One man in the audience died while trying to protect his family during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on Saturday, authorities say.
Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer fire chief, dove onto family members when the shots rang out.
"Corey died a hero," Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said at a news conference on Sunday.
Pennsylvania state police said the other two people shot were 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver. Both were in a stable condition on Sunday.
The Pennsylvania governor said he spoke to Comperatore's wife and two daughters.
"Corey went to church every Sunday," Shapiro said. "Cory loved his community. Most especially, Corey loved his family."
'Hero' Corey Comperatore killed trying to shield family during Trump assassination attempt https://t.co/a9ToUGNjJv
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 14, 2024
He said Comperatore was an avid supporter of Trump and was excited to be at the rally on Saturday.
"Corey was the very best of us. May his memory be a blessing," Shapiro said. "Last night was shocking… political disagreements can never, ever be addressed through violence."
State police said Comperatore lived in Sarver, about 19km away from the rally site in Butler, outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In addition to his volunteer firefighting work, he was employed as a project and tooling engineer at a plastics manufacturing company, according to his social media profiles.
"He was a good person," neighbour Matt Achilles told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
"We might not have agreed on the same political views, but that didn't stop him from being a good friend and neighbour," Achilles said.
"He donated money to us when I was in the hospital and he would always come by at our yard sales. He always waved hello when I drove past his house."
Shapiro said he also spoke to the family of one of those injured, but declined to give details about the conversation.
A bullet, one of the six to eight shots that were fired at the rally, grazed the ear of former president Trump.
The gunman, named by authorities as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by Secret Service officers tasked with protecting the former president.
- BBC
