Prayers are being expressed for the family of a Trump supporter murdered during the assassination attempt on the former president’s life. Two other supporters remain in critical condition.
The victims were present in the stands directly behind Trump, who was six minutes into a campaign speech when he was shot.
Dead is Cory Comperatore, 50, the former volunteer fire chief for the Buffalo Township where the rally was held, reports local WPXI.
Comperatore’s sister, Dawn Comperatore Schafer, remembered her brother, saying he died while trying to protect his daughter when gunfire rang out.
“The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most. He was a hero that shielded his daughters,” she wrote on Facebook.
“His wife and girls just lived through the unthinkable and unimaginable,” she added.
Comperatore’s still shaken daughter, Allyson, remembered her father as the “the best dad a girl could ever ask for,” saying he had pushed them to the space between the bleacher seats as shots rang out. “He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us,” Allyson wrote on Facebook.
“And I want nothing more than to cry on him and tell him thank you.”
Comperatore is reported to have been a regular church attender, volunteer in his community and well-respected community member.
Comperatore’s wife Helen also released a statement Sunday, echoing her daughter’s view that he was a “real-life superhero” who protected them.
“Yesterday, what [was meant to] be such an exciting day for my husband, especially, turned into a nightmare for our family,” she wrote on Facebook.
“What my precious girls had to witness is unforgivable,” she added. “He died the hero he always was.”
READ: Trump wounded, being checked at medical facility after assassination attempt
Graphic photos show Trump, 78, on the ground with blood running down his face. Experts say Trump only survived the assassination attempt because he turned his head, which caused the bullet to pierce his ear instead of the temple of his head.
Trump, who dropped to the ground after being hit, was immediately covered by Secret Service agents who rushed the stage. Trump, who was clearly covered in blood, was then ushered off stage by the Secret Service. In what has immediately become an iconic photo, he pumped his fist in the air in a signal to supporters that he was alive, as federal agents took him from the stage to his waiting armored vehicle.
The FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20. He was killed by a Secret Service sniper positioned on the roof of a nearby building.
Not long after being seen by medical professionals at a nearby hospital, Trump was quick to acknowledge law enforcement for their quick actions.
“I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, and all of law enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pa.,” Trump stated after the shooting. “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.”
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country.”
David McCormick, a Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, told Politico that he was on the front row of the bleachers and that he knew immediately that someone behind him had been shot. “All the sudden shots started to crack, someone behind me appears to have been shot,” McCormick told the publication. McCormick said there was “lots of blood.”
As Trump was ushered off the stage, as screaming could still be heard, many in the crowd began chanting “USA!”
Reaction from around the country and world was quick when it was apparent Trump had survived.
In the US, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) wrote “God protected President Trump.”
“Extraordinary,” wrote Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). “God bless President Trump.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stated, “I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former president Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country.”
“This should horrify every freedom-loving American. Violence against presidential candidates must never be normalized,” wrote Nikki Haley, who served in Trump’s first term and recently released the delegates won in her presidential bid, saying they should vote for Trump. “We are lifting up Donald Trump, the entire Trump family, and all in attendance, in prayer.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, wrote that “violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable. It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States,” according to JNS.org.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who along with other Democrats has been criticized for derogatory language against Trump, wrote that he was “horrified by this apparent assassination attempt. There is no place for political violence in our democracy. Absolutely none.”
“Sara and I were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on social media platform X. “We pray for his safety and speedy recovery.” In a video statement released on Sunday, Netanyahu said “This wasn’t just an attack on Donald Trump. This was an attack on a candidate for the presidency of the United States. This was an attack on America. It was an attack on democracy, it was an attack on all the democracies.”
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote he was “appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump’s rally and we send him and his family our best wishes.” “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack,” Starmer added.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote “the incident at former President Trump’s campaign event in Pennsylvania today is concerning and confronting.”
“There is no place for violence in the democratic process,” Albanese added. “I am relieved to hear reports that former President Trump is now safe.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote that he was “sickened” by the shooting, stressing that “It cannot be overstated — political violence is never acceptable.”
“My thoughts are with former President Trump, those at the event, and all Americans,” Trudeau wrote.
Writing on X, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated “We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy. I pray for former President Trump’s speedy recovery.”
President Biden reportedly spoke with Trump Saturday night after the shooting.
“I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania,” Biden said in a statement. “I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
Former first lady Melania Trump released a statement blasting the shooter as a “monster” and calling for the country to “reunite.”
Melania said in her statement that America is a unique nation and that courage and common sense must ascend and “bring us back together as one.”
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change.”
“To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.”
She paid tribute to Secret Service agents and law enforcement officials who “risked their own lives” to protect her husband, and honored the victims, including one person who was fatally struck.
She went on to say that the nation must “ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence.”
“We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends.”
“We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.”
“Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.”
“The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide – thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice