Trump shooting victim's heartbreaking last post shows how excited he was to hear ex-president speak at rally
The victim of a deadly shooting at a Trump campaign rally had been eager to hear the ex-president speak.
In his heartbreaking final post on X, Corey Comperatore responded to the popular Catturd account, which asked: 'So what's everyone getting into this weekend?'
'Trump rally!' Comperatore, 50, excitedly replied. 'Butler, PA.'
It was at that rally Saturday night that Comperatore died a hero as he shielded his young daughter and wife from the gunfire as he was killed by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Other Trump supporters rushed to his aid in the bleachers just moments after Crooks opened fire from a rooftop 130 yards away.
Corey Comperatore, 50, was eager to hear former President Donald Trump speak at a rally Saturday night
In response to the Catturd X account asking what everyone's plans were for the weekend, Comperatore excitedly responded 'Trump rally'
Grieving family members announced Comperatore's untimely death on Sunday, as they paid tribute to the former volunteer firefighter.
His sister wrote on Facebook: 'The PA Trump Rally claimed the life of my brother, Corey Comperatore. The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most. He was a hero who shielded his daughters.
'His wife and girls just lived through the unthinkable and unimaginable. My baby brother just turned 50 and had so much life left to experience,' she continued.
'Hatred has no limits and love has no bounds. Pray for my sister-in-law, nieces, my mother, sister, me and his nieces and nephews as this feels like a terrible nightmare but we know it is our painful reality.'
Comperatore's daughter, Allyson, also wrote: 'He died a real-life super hero.'
Comperatore was described Sunday as a 'girl-dad' and a former volunteer firefighter who had just turned 50 years old
'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.'
'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 deemed Comperatore a hero for diving on his family to shield them from the hail of bullets.
'Corey dove on his family to protect him last night, he died a hero, he was the very best of us,' the governor said in a press conference on Sunday afternoon, adding that the father-of-two was a self-proclaimed 'girl dad' and firefighter.
'Corey went to church every Sunday for a loved his community. And most especially Corey loves his family. Corey was an avid supporter of the former president, and was so excited to be there last night with him in the community,' the governor said Sunday.
'I asked Corey's wife, if it would be okay for me to share that we spoke. She said yes. She also asked that I share with all of you that Corey died a hero.'
The father-of-two jumped onto his wife and daughter to protect them from the gunfire
Members of the crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania rushed to his aid following the shooting
'This is a moment where all leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity,' he continued.
'For all leaders, we need to take down the temperature and rise above the hateful rhetoric that exists in search for a better brighter future for this nation.'
An emergency room doctor at Donald Trump's rally revealed how he performed CPR on Comperatore after he was hit by a bullet intended for the former president.
'I heard the shots. I thought it was firecrackers begin with. Somebody over there was screaming 'he's been shot he's been shot,'' said the man who had blood splattered all over his white USA shirt. 'So I made my way over. I said I'm an emergency department physician. Let me help you.'
'The guy had spun around was jammed between the benches and a head shot here,' he told CBS News.
'So I got him together so I got people there really helpful. I did CPR chest compressions as well.'
But the 50-year-old was later pronounced dead.
Trump was also shot in the right ear by Crooks, who opened fire with an AR-style rifle from a roof 130 yards from the MAGA event in Butler, Pennsylvania
He was escorted off the stage by Secret Service agents after getting shot
Trump was also shot in the right ear by Crooks, who opened fire with an AR-style rifle from a roof 130 yards from the MAGA event in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The former president was seen grabbing at his head and ducked as screams front terrified onlookers ran out.
He then stood, pumped his fist and chanted 'fight, fight, fight' as Secret Service rushed him off stage and into a motorcade
Crooks is a registered Republican who also donated money to President Biden in 2023. He graduated from high school in 2022 .
Images of Crooks wearing glasses, braces, and an American flag t-shirt in a yearbook headshots emerged on Sunday morning, hours after he tried to take out the presumptive Republican nominee, killed Comperatore, and critically injured two others.
The shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks
Crooks' uncle Mark Crooks told DailyMail.com he hadn't seen the gunman or his parents in years, and described them as 'very private.'
'I haven’t seen that part of my family in years,' he said. 'Honestly it's been so long I don’t think much about them.
'It’s a shame. The kid is like a stranger to me. They’re private and they don’t reach out to anybody any time.'
Bethel Park School District - where Crooks was a student until two years ago - verified his graduation and vowed full cooperation with investigators.
Records show he donated to a group that backed President Joe Biden on the day of the inauguration in 2020.
Following the shooting, Trump put out a statement thanking the Secret Service for their 'rapid response' and offering his condolences to Comperatore
Following the attack, Trump put out a statement on Truth Social confirming he was struck by a bullet, while thanking the Secret Service and law enforcement for their 'rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania.'
The former president also confirmed that one rally-goer was killed and another was 'badly injured.'
'Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.'
'It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known 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,' said the former president.
'I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!'
