Memorial services set for Buffalo Township man killed at Trump rally

A candlelight vigil for Corey Comperatore planned for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Lernerville Speedway is meant to honor his memory, not advance political agendas, according to organizers.

It’s one of several ways people will be able commemorate the Buffalo Township man killed by a gunman at Donald Trump’s rally Saturday in Butler County.

Public visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Laube Hall in Freeport. Funeral services will be private, according to Redmond Funeral Home, which is handling the arrangements.

Comperatore, 50, was killed when Thomas Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park opened fire in an attempt to assassinate Trump while he spoke at the Butler Farm Show grounds during a campaign stop.

On Sunday, Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered flags across the state be flown at half-staff for the Freeport Area High School graduate and former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company.

People also can pay their respects at a small memorial outside the station, where Comperatore served as chief in the early 2000s and remained a member until his death. Firefighters have hung up his turnout gear and draped it in black ribbon as a symbol of mourning, and his name remains affixed to his locker in the back of the building.

Some visitors have left flowers, and others, like Joe Girimonti of the Stowe Township Volunteer Fire Department, have brought donations for Comperatore’s wife and two children.

“We’re all together. We’re all brothers,” Girimonti said.

Calls with condolences or requests for funeral information have poured in from as far as France, Italy and Japan. On Tuesday morning, the fire department’s phone reliably rang every few minutes. Emergency calls haven’t stopped either, with five since late Sunday.

Buffalo Township firefighters said they’re devastated by the loss but have opened the department to the community to help give Comperatore’s family time to grieve.

“We take the loss of our firefighters pretty hard here,” Buffalo Township firefighter Tabatha Lucas said. “A good chief will always be a chief.”

The family has posted “no trespassing” signs in the front yard of their Sarver Road home and, according to Buffalo Township police Chief Tim Derringer, is not speaking with the media at this time.

As told by Comperatore’s daughter, Allyson, who attended the rally with her father and mother, Helen, Comperatore threw himself across his wife and daughter to protect them from the gunfire.

Allyson Comperatore published a tribute to her father on Facebook on Sunday that recounted how he pushed her and her mother to the ground and shielded them with his body. The post has since been removed, but screenshots are being shared by many on social media, including politicians from across the country.

“We lost a selfless, loving, husband, father, brother, uncle, son and friend. And I will never stop thinking about him and mourning over him until the day that I die, too. July 13th will forever be a day the changed my life. I will never be the same person I was less than 24 hours ago,” the tribute read in part.

Multiple online fundraisers have been established to assist the family.

One GoFundMe account started by family friend Jason Bubb began with a goal of $7,000. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had raised more than $1.1 million from 20,000-plus donations.

Another GoFundMe set up for all of the victims of the shooting has raised just shy of $5 million from over 63,000 donations.

Those funds will be split between the families of Comperatore and the two men injured in the assassination attempt — David Dutch, 57, of Plum and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon.

Both were said by an Allegheny Health Network spokesperson to be in critical but stable condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

According to friends, Dutch, a Marine veteran and member of the Marine Corps League, had undergone a second surgery Monday to address his wounds. He reportedly was shot twice in the incident — once in the chest and once in the liver.

The family of Copenhaver released a statement though Allegheny General Hospital, thanking medical staff and requesting privacy while he recovers.

“The Copenhaver family would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support for James ‘Jim’ as he recovers from the injuries that he tragically sustained during President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. Jim would like to especially thank the first responders, medics, and hospital staff who have provided him with initial and continuing care. Additionally, Jim would like to express his thoughts and prayers for the other victims, their families, and President Trump. He prays for a safe and speedy recovery for them all.

“At this time, the Copenhaver family would kindly request that friends, the public, and the media respect the family’s privacy and allow for Jim to recover from the life-altering injuries that he sustained on July 13, 2024. There will be no further information released by the family at this time.”