The victim of a fatal shooting at a Trump campaign rally was eager to hear the ex-president speak.
In his heartbreaking final post on X, Corey Comperatore responded to the popular Catturd account, asking the question, “So what is everyone up to this weekend?”
“Trump rally!” Comperatore, 50, responded excitedly. “Butler, PA.”
It was during that rally Saturday night that Comperatore died a hero as he shielded his young daughter and wife from gunfire as he was shot dead by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Other Trump supporters rushed to his aid in the stands shortly after Crooks opened fire from a rooftop 400 feet away.
Corey Comperatore, 50, couldn’t wait to hear former President Donald Trump speak at a rally Saturday night
In response to Catturd X’s question about what everyone’s plans were for the weekend, Comperatore enthusiastically replied: ‘Trump rally’
Relatives announced Comperatore’s untimely passing on Sunday as they paid tribute to the former volunteer firefighter.
His sister wrote on Facebook: “The PA Trump Rally cost the life of my brother, Corey Comperatore. The hatred for one man cost the life of the man we love most. He was a hero who protected his daughters.
“His wife and daughters just went through the unthinkable and the unimaginable. My little brother just turned 50 and had so much to experience,” she continued.
“Hate knows no bounds and love knows no bounds. Please pray for my sister-in-law, nieces, my mother, sister, me and his nieces and nephews because this feels like a horrible nightmare but we know it is our painful reality.”
Comperatore’s daughter Allyson also wrote, “He died a true superhero.”
Comperatore was described Sunday as a “dad of girls” and a former volunteer firefighter who had just turned 50
“They’re not going to tell you how fast he threw my mother and me to the ground. They’re not going to tell you he was shielding my body from the bullet that was coming at us.”
“He loved his family. He truly loved us enough to take a bullet for us,” she continued in the emotional tribute.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also called Comperatore a hero for jumping to protect his family from the hail of bullets.
“Corey jumped in to protect his family last night. He died a hero, he was the best of all of us,” the governor said at a news conference Sunday afternoon, adding that the father of two called himself a “girl dad” and a firefighter.
“Corey went to church every Sunday because he loved his community. And most of all, Corey loves his family. Corey was an avid supporter of the former president and was so excited to be with him in the community last night,” the governor said Sunday.
“I asked Corey’s wife if it was okay if I shared that we spoke. She said yes. She also asked if I would share with all of you that Corey died a hero.”
The father of two jumped on his wife and daughter to protect them from the gunfire
Members of the crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, rushed to his aid after the shooting
“This is a moment when all leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity,” he continued.
“All leaders must lower the temperature and rise above the hateful rhetoric that prevails in the quest for a better future for this country.”
An emergency room doctor at Donald Trump’s rally recounted how he performed CPR on Comperatore after he was hit by a bullet meant for the former president.
“I heard the shots. I thought it was fireworks. Someone was yelling ‘he’s shot, he’s shot,'” said the man, whose blood was spattered across his white USA T-shirt. “So I walked over. I said I’m an emergency physician. Let me help you.”
“The man turned around and was pinned between the benches. He was shot in the head here,” he told CBS News.
“So I got him together, so I have people there that are really helpful. I also did CPR and chest compressions.”
But the 50-year-old was later pronounced dead.
Trump was also shot in his right ear by Crooks, who opened fire with an AR-style rifle from a rooftop 450 feet from the MAGA event in Butler, Pennsylvania
He was escorted off the stage by Secret Service agents after he was shot
Trump was also shot in his right ear by Crooks, who opened fire with an AR-style rifle from a rooftop 400 feet from the MAGA event in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The former president grabbed his head and ducked as frightened bystanders ran outside, screaming.
He then stood up, pumped his fist and chanted “fight, fight, fight” as the Secret Service chased him off the stage and into a procession
Crooks is a registered Republican who also donated to President Biden in 2023. He graduated from high school in 2022.
Photos surfaced Sunday morning of Crooks wearing glasses, braces and an American flag T-shirt in a yearbook photo, just hours after he tried to take out the presumptive Republican nominee, killing Comperatore and seriously wounding two others.
The shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks
Crooks’ uncle Mark Crooks told DailyMail.com he had not seen the shooter or his parents in years and described the events as “very private.”
“I haven’t seen that part of my family in years,” he said. “Honestly, it’s been so long that I don’t think about them that much anymore.”
“It’s a shame. The child is like a stranger to me. They are private and they never contact anyone.”
Bethel Park School District, where Crooks attended school until two years ago, has verified his diploma and promised to fully cooperate with investigators.
Documents show that on Inauguration Day in 2020, he made a donation to a group supporting President Joe Biden.
After the shooting, Trump issued a statement thanking the Secret Service for their “quick response” and offering his condolences to Comperatore
After the attack, Trump posted a statement on Truth Social confirming that he had been struck by a bullet, while also thanking the Secret Service and law enforcement for their “quick response to the recent shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.”
The former president also confirmed that one participant in the demonstration was killed and another was “seriously injured.”
‘Most importantly, I would like to express my condolences to the family of the person who died at the demonstration, and also to the family of another person who was seriously injured.’
“It is unbelievable that something like this could happen in our country. There is no information 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,” the former president said.
“I knew right away something was wrong because I heard a whooshing sound, shots, and I immediately felt the bullet rip through my skin. There was a lot of blood loss, so that’s when I realized what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”