A tragic incident unfolded at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday when a gunman opened fire, resulting in the death of one attendee and injuries to two others. Former President Donald Trump narrowly escaped serious injury when one of the bullets grazed his ear. The injured, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, are currently receiving medical treatment.
The victim identified as Corey Comperatore, a retired firefighter and father of two, was fatally struck while heroically shielding his family from the gunfire. On Monday, Comperatore’s widow revealed his final act of bravery, recounting his last words as he protected them from the bullets that ended his life.
“Get down!” were the last words Corey Comperatore, 50, the volunteer firefighter and father of two, said as he protected his family from the gunman.
“He’s my hero,” Helen Comperatore said to The New York Post from their home in Sarver, Pennsylvania. “He just said, ‘get down!’ That was the last thing he said.”
Rest in Peace Corey Comperatore, a true hero that died last night protecting his family pic.twitter.com/MOMdt0nx3K
— greg (@greg16676935420) July 14, 2024
Helen shared that President Joe Biden attempted to reach out to her family following the tragic shooting, but she declined the call. “I didn’t talk to Biden. I didn’t want to talk to him,” she said. “My husband was a devout Republican and he would not have wanted me to talk to him.”
Helen and Corey, childhood sweethearts, were about to celebrate their 29th wedding anniversary when they attended the rally as a family to support their candidate. “Me and the kids were all there as a family,” she recounted. “He was just excited. It was going to be a nice day with the family.” Sadly, the day turned tragic. “It was a bad day. He was a very loving husband.”
“He was a simple man but he put his wife and kids first all the time. I did nothing here. I didn’t lift a finger. He did everything.” A GoFundMe page set up by her family has raised $990,000. “The donations that are coming in across the community and across the country, it’s more than I can even imagine,” she said. “It’s more than I can fathom, but he deserves it all. He deserves everything.” She also noted that the family has not heard from Trump, and reiterated that Biden is not welcome.
“I don’t have any ill-will towards Joe Biden. I’m not one of those people that gets involved in politics. I support Trump, that’s who I’m voting for but I don’t have ill-will towards Biden.” She finished, “He didn’t do anything to my husband. A 20-year-old despicable kid did.”
The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was a member of a local gun club and employed as a dietary aide at a nursing facility. He was registered as a Republican and had previously made a $15 donation to a progressive political organization. Crooks was not carrying any ID, prompting investigators to use DNA and facial recognition technology for identification, according to the FBI. Authorities have yet to determine a motive. NBC News reported that more than a dozen guns were discovered during a search of the Crooks family home.