Corey Comperatore, 50, was a family man who loved to fish. He worked at a plastics manufacturing company, volunteered as a firefighter and went to church.
An “avid supporter” of Donald J. Trump, as Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania put it, Mr. Comperatore attended the former president’s campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday with his family, alongside thousands of fellow fans who gathered on a sweltering evening.
When a gunman fired shots from the roof of a nearby building, hitting Mr. Trump’s ear, Mr. Comperatore threw himself over his family members to shield them, according to the governor. Mr. Comperatore was shot in the head and died at the scene, authorities said. Two other rally attendees were critically injured in the shooting.
Officials and Mr. Comperatore’s sister, Dawn Comperatore Schafer, confirmed his identity on Sunday. “We watched him die on the news,” she said in a phone interview, through tears. “That’s how we found out.”
Mr. Shapiro, a Democrat, said on Sunday that Mr. Comperatore “died a hero,” adding that “Corey was the very best of us.”
Mr. Comperatore, of Sarver, Pa., had two daughters — Allyson, 27, and Kaylee, 24. He and Jeff Lowers, a longtime friend, were volunteer firefighters together, and Mr. Lowers said that Mr. Comperatore’s quick instincts appeared to come into play during the shooting. Mr. Lowers said he learned about his friend’s actions from Mr. Comperatore’s wife, Helen.
“Being a volunteer fireman, no matter what you’re doing, when the whistle goes off and the monitor goes off, you go and do what you need to do,” said Mr. Lowers, 63.
At the rally, Dr. James Sweetland, an emergency room physician who was at the event, rushed to help Mr. Comperatore after he was shot. He said that Mr. Comperatore was lying in a pool of blood, and two people helped lift him onto a bench so he could give CPR. Someone else put pressure on Mr. Comperatore’s wound above his ear. But Dr. Sweetland said there was no pulse. Two Pennsylvania State troopers helped lift Mr. Comperatore onto a stretcher.
David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pa., is one of the two rally attendees who were critically wounded, the Pennsylvania State Police said Sunday. A longtime Trump supporter, Mr. Dutch has worked for Siemens for decades, according to his sister, Jennifer Veri-Grazier, and he seemed “ecstatic” for the rally. Ms. Veri-Grazier said he was being treated for damage to the liver and broken ribs.
The police identified James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pa., as the other critically injured victim. Both men are being treated at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Law enforcement officials said the victims were shot by the gunman, who opened fire from an elevated position outside the security perimeter. The suspected gunman, whom the F.B.I. identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., was killed by Secret Service agents.
Another person wounded during the attack is a nephew of Representative Ronny Jackson, a Texas Republican who served as Mr. Trump’s White House doctor. Dr. Jackson wrote in a post on X that a bullet grazed his nephew’s neck.
As the shooting sent shock waves across the nation, family and friends of Mr. Comperatore were mourning their loss on Sunday.
Mr. Comperatore loved to fish, so much that he refused to buy fish at the grocery store, Mr. Lowers said. He took meticulous care of his home, boat and cars.
He worked at the plastic company JSP, said another friend and fellow firefighter, Gary Risch Jr. He previously served as a fire chief at the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Mr. Risch said.
Kip Johnston, the current chief of the fire company, said Mr. Comperatore was his chief for about three years in the early 2000s. “He was a great leader,” he said. “You couldn’t meet a more humble guy.”
Mr. Johnston later lamented, “I never got to go fishing with him.”
An American flag waved in the humid breeze from the front porch of Mr. Comperatore’s gray and white-trimmed home in Sarver, a town about 30 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, where modest residential houses abut farms and woodlands by Little Buffalo Creek. A dozen long-stem roses lay on the front lawn.
George Scott, Mr. Comperatore’s brother-in-law, briefly stepped out of Mr. Comperatore’s house. “We’re doing terrible,” he said. “He was everything to them,” he added, referring to the family. Mr. Scott was then ushered back into the house by the family’s pastor, Jonathan Fehl, of nearby Cabot Church.
“They want to be alone in their grieving process,” Mr. Fehl said of the family.
Mr. Comperatore was selected as a future trustee of Cabot Church in 2021, helping to oversee issues like church property and insurance. The most recent Cabot Church newsletter celebrated Mr. Comperatore’s birthday, June 14, and his wedding anniversary, June 22.
Matt Achilles, 33, has lived several houses down from Mr. Comperatore and his family for eight years. He described Mr. Comperatore as a staple in their tight-knit neighborhood. He could often be seen on a tractor, mowing his lawn or taking care of his two beloved and well-trained Dobermans.
A few years ago, a vehicle wound up in Mr. Comperatore’s yard after an accident. “As soon as the car was out of there with the tow truck, he’s out there fixing it,” Mr. Achilles recalled. “He was so attentive to detail when it came to stuff like that.”
Mr. Achilles said Mr. Comperatore had donated money to him through an online fund-raising platform when he was hospitalized several years ago. Last Christmas, he recalled, Mr. Comperatore asked if Mr. Achilles knew of anyone in need so he could donate a ham. He ended up giving one to a single mother with five children.
“You’re a good man!” Mr. Achilles messaged him.
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