Hundreds gather to remember former fire chief fatally shot at Trump rally in Pennsylvania
SARVAR, Pennsylvania — Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday to remember the former fire chief who was shot dead at a weekend meeting for former President Donald Trump in a rural area of Pennsylvania, shocked by violence committed by a 20-year-old local man.
Outside Lernersville Speedway in Sarvar, Pennsylvania, where the vigil was held for Corey Comperatore, a sign read, “Rest in Peace Corey, Thank You for Your Service,” with his fire department’s logo.
On the country road leading to the racetrack – lined with cornfields, churches and industrial factories – a sign from a local credit union reads outside: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Comperatore family.”
Comperatore, 50, had worked as a project and tool engineer, was an Army reservist and spent many years as a volunteer firefighter after serving as a chief, he said. his obituary.
He died on Saturday during a attempt to kill Trump at the meeting in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Comperatore spent the last moments of his life by shielding his wife and daughter from gunfire, officials said.
Vigil organizer Kelly McCollough told the crowd Wednesday that the vigil was not political, adding that there was no room for hate or personal opinions, other than a show of support for the Comperatore family.
“Tonight is about unity,” McCollough said. “We need each other. We need to feel love. We need to feel safe. We need clarity in this chaos. We need strength. We need healing.”
Dan Ritter, who delivered a eulogy, said he bought Comperatore’s childhood home in 1993. It was the beginning of a friendship that grew over their shared values about family, Christian faith and politics.
“Corey loved his family and always spent time with them,” Ritter said. “Last Saturday should have been one of those days for him. He did what a good father would do. He protected those he loved. He is a true hero to all of us.”
Jeff Lowers of the Freeport Fire Department trained with Comperatore and said at the vigil that Comperatore always had a smile on his face.
Then Heidi Powell, a family friend, read the speech from Comperatore’s high school economics teacher, who was unable to attend Thursday’s vigil.
“What truly made Corey extraordinary was his indomitable spirit, unyielding courage and unwavering optimism,” wrote the teacher, Mark Wyant.
Comperatore’s pastor, Jonathan Fehl of Cabot Methodist Church in Cabot, Pennsylvania, said the slain man’s family is “humbled by the way this community has rallied around them” and by the support they have received from people around the world.
Before the rally, Comperatore posted on social media that he had been upgraded to a seat at the event, according to Collin Burke. The 27-year-old lived next door to Comperatore as a child and had previously volunteered with him at the fire station.
When Burke heard about the shooting, he texted Comperatore asking if he was okay.
Comperatore never responded.
“It crushed me,” Burke said Wednesday of Comperatore’s death.
Burke said he planned to attend a private funeral nearby on Friday. The public was also invited to pay their respects during a visitation that began Thursday afternoon at Laube Hall in Freeport, Pennsylvania.
As a child, Burke rode on the same school bus with Comperatore’s daughters. He recalled that Comperatore had the best lawn in the neighborhood, owned two beautiful Dobermans, and spent his free time bass fishing.
He described Comperatore as a Trump supporter “through and through” and also as a “very friendly person.”
The vigil concluded with people in the crowd lighting candles and holding up cell phones, glow sticks and lighters in honor of Comperatore, as his favorite song — “I Can Only Imagine” by the Christian rock band MercyMe — played while photos of him and his family were shown on a screen.
Two other people were injured at the rally: David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Copenhaver was upgraded from critical to serious condition Wednesday, according to the family’s attorney, Joseph Feldman.
Trump suffered ear injury but was not seriously injured and attended the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee this week.
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AP reporters Heather Hollingsworth contributed from Mission, Kansas, and Lisa Baumann contributed from Bellingham, Washington.