The hero firefighter, who was killed by assassin’s bullets that were intended for President Donald Trump, died while shielding his family at the rally in Pennsylvania.
Corey Comperatore, 50, died Saturday night while shielding his wife and family from gunfire at the rally in Butler County.
During the rally, Trump was shot in the ear and narrowly avoided death.
Comperatore is remembered as a selfless “girl dad” and churchgoing family man.
Those who knew him say the volunteer firefighter always put others before himself.
He died after a 20-year-old man snuck onto a roof and started shooting at Trump.
“It’s just so typical of him, the way it all happened, with protecting his wife and his daughter and just throwing himself on top of them when they hear the shooting,” said Eileen Shamanski, whose children grew up playing soccer alongside Comperatore’s daughters.
“He was an all-around good guy that was always there to lend a hand and support not just his own children but all the other kids who were friends of their girls and on the team,” she told Fox News.
“He had a just give it your all attitude, [and] a lot of kids respected him for that, just always being there supporting, giving those pep talks to get them going. It’s going to be a big loss.”
“We didn’t think it was true at first when my daughters called me crying,” she added.
“Then we saw his wife and daughter on the news when they were tending to him – it was just a sad thing to see, so sad, but I know he would’ve done it again in a heartbeat if it came down to it.”
“It makes a difference when you’re there in the stands to cheer them on,” she said.
“The girls, you could see it in their faces, they just opened up with him, and he would travel for away tournaments.
“Him and his wife were always there, always being there to support them.”
Both daughters are in their 20s now, she said.
“He taught them to be strong, so I’m sure they’ll be there to help their mom work through this,” she said.
The assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by Secret Service agents within moments of his first shot.
However, Crooks was able to kill Comperatore, shoot Trump in the ear, and wound two more bystanders, according to authorities.
Trump himself said a bullet tore through part of his right ear.
The 45th president was pictured with blood on the side of his head as agents led him offstage.
Before he got into his motorcade, he raised a fist, prompting cheers and chants of “U-S-A” from the crowd.
“Corey died a hero,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters on Saturday, after speaking with Comperatore’s wife Helen.
“Corey dove on his family to protect them.”
In a Sunday post from one of his daughters Allyson, she remembered him as “the best dad a girl could ask for.”
“The media will not tell you that he died a real-life superhero,” she continued.
“They are not going to tell you how quickly he threw my mom and I to the ground.
“They are not going to tell you that he shielded my body from the bullet that came at us.”
Comperatore was an engineer and a volunteer firefighter.
He attended church every Sunday and by many accounts would help out anyone in a heartbeat.
The FBI has taken on the role of lead investigator into the shooting, which the agency had confirmed was an assassination attempt.
Authorities said Sunday they had no known motive, Crooks had no criminal record or documented history of mental illness.
However, as Slay News reported, records show that Crooks was a Democrat donor, hinting that the attack was most likely political.
During searches, authorities said they found bomb-making materials in his vehicle.
They revealed that investigators are focused on retrieving data from his phone records.
“What we witnessed yesterday was nothing short of an attack on democracy and our democratic process,” FBI Director Christopher Wray told reporters on a conference call Sunday.
“An attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate can only be described as absolutely despicable and will not be tolerated in this country.”
The attack prompted widespread condemnation from leaders around the world, across political lines.
