The member of the crowd killed in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at his Pennsylvania rally has been identified as Corey Comperatore, a retired fire chief of Buffalo Township. Comperatore was shot and killed by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, who opened fire from a rooftop 130 yards away from the rally stage in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Members of the audience tried to save the 50-year-old father’s life in the bleachers after Crooks began firing. Comperatore, known and loved in his community, was sitting behind Trump when he was fatally shot.
Family members have paid tribute to Comperatore. His sister wrote on Facebook, “The PA Trump Rally claimed the life of my brother, Corey Comperatore. The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most. He was a hero that shielded his daughters. His wife and girls just lived through the unthinkable and unimaginable. My baby brother just turned 50 and had so much life left to experience. Hatred has no limits and love has no bounds. Pray for my sister-in-law, nieces, my mother, sister, me, and his nieces and nephews as this feels like a terrible nightmare but we know it is our painful reality.”
An emergency room doctor at the rally revealed how he performed CPR on Comperatore after the shooting. “I heard the shots. I thought it was firecrackers to begin with. Somebody over there was screaming ‘he’s been shot, he’s been shot,’” said the doctor, who had blood splattered all over his white USA shirt. “So I made my way over. I said I’m an emergency department physician. Let me help you.” Despite his efforts, Comperatore did not survive.
The presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, was also shot in the right ear by Crooks, who was positioned on a roof just over 100 yards away. Trump briefly bent down, then stood up, pumped his fist, and chanted “fight, fight, fight” as Secret Service agents rushed him off stage and into a motorcade.
Crooks, identified as a registered Republican and 2022 high school graduate, was later found with explosive devices in his car near the rally. Images of Crooks wearing glasses, braces, and an American flag t-shirt in a yearbook headshot emerged on Sunday morning. Crooks’ uncle, Mark Crooks, described the family as “very private” and noted that he had not seen them in years.
Bethel Park School District, where Crooks was a student until two years ago, verified his graduation and vowed full cooperation with investigators. Records show he donated to a group supporting President Joe Biden on Inauguration Day in 2020.
Trump issued a statement on Truth Social Saturday night confirming he was struck by a bullet while thanking the Secret Service and law enforcement for their rapid response. “Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured,” he said.
“It is incredible that such an act can occur in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, and shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
