Victim at Trump Shooting Scene Is a Former Firefighter in His 50s

Victim of the incident, Komperatore (left), and his daughter Allison / GoFundMe homepage

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The victim who lost his life while watching the campaign at the scene where former President Donald Trump was shot has been confirmed to be a 50-year-old engineer and family man who had long dedicated himself to the local volunteer fire department.

Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania, announced in a briefing on the 14th (local time) that the victim of the shooting incident at former President Trump's campaign rally the previous day was Cory Comparatore (50), a former volunteer fire chief in the area.

He, who had two daughters and a wife, heard the news that former President Trump, whom he respected, was visiting Butler, Pennsylvania, about a 30-minute drive from his home, and went to the campaign site with his family. While listening to Trump's speech, when gunshots suddenly rang out, he threw himself in front of his family and was hit by the bullet instead, ultimately never regaining consciousness. His wife, Helen, recalled, “My husband died heroically.”

He was an engineer who had served in the local volunteer fire department for over 20 years. Randy Rimer, the local volunteer fire chief, told the Associated Press, “He was always a really good person who wanted to help someone.”

Paul Hayden (62), a neighbor of Comparatore, said to The Washington Post (WP) that although they had different political views, “This did not divide us.” He said, “He was a very good person, and it is unfortunate that such an incident happened.”

Comparatore’s sister, Dawn Schaefer, held a press conference at the Butler Township administrative building to commemorate him and requested that public buildings fly flags at half-staff to honor the victim for the time being. Governor Shapiro immediately accepted this and instructed officials to lower the flags.

In addition to Comparatore, who died at the campaign rally due to the shooting, two others were seriously injured. David Dutch (57) and James Kopenhaver (74) are both currently reported to be in stable condition.

According to the GoFundMe page set up to support the victims and their families, as of 8:40 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the day, the amount raised exceeded $3.2 million (approximately 4.4 billion KRW).

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