Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed on Sunday that one of the victims in the attack against former U.S. President Donald Trump was a 50-year-old former firefighter who died while protecting his wife and daughter from gunfire.
Corey Comperatore died as a "hero," said the politician after revealing the identity of the deceased.
“His wife told me that he threw himself over his family to protect them,” said Shapiro at a press conference attended by Local 10 News.
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden expressed their "deepest condolences" to Comperatore's family.
"He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets being fired at them and lost his life. God bless him. We are also praying for the full recovery of the injured," Biden said in a statement.
Social media has also been flooded with messages of condolence, and even former colleagues of Comperatore shared their thoughts about him.
Randy Reamer, president of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, described him as "an honest guy" and "a true brother of the fire service."
The deceased had been at the helm of the company for about three years, but he was also a lifetime member, which means he had served for over 20 years.
Reamer added that Comperatore was "a great guy in every way, always willing to help others."
He added that “he definitely defended what he believed in, never backed down from anyone... He was a really good guy.”
The Volunteer Fire Company's Buffalo Municipality planned a tribute for the deceased former chief.
Ricky Heasley from Sarver, the company's deputy director, had known him for over a decade and remembered him as a very outgoing and lively person, according to Local 10 News.
To support Comperatore's family, a GoFundMe campaign was launched, which had already exceeded $400,000 by Sunday.
It is known that two other people were injured during the attack on Trump at the rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania.
They were identified as 57-year-old David Dutch from New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, according to the State Police. Both were in stable condition on Sunday.
On Saturday, former United States President Donald Trump was injured during a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The attacker was identified as a 20-year-old named Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired from the roof of a building located about 140 meters from the stage where Trump was speaking. After being shot by Secret Service agents, a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle was found near his body.
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