A western Pennsylvania community has rallied around the family of the man who was fatally shot when a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally.
BUTLER COUNTY, Pa.—Bagpipes pierced the air. Motorcycle engines roared. And a country music star crooned a specially written ballad, topped off with booming fireworks.
As echoes of those daylong tributes to Corey Comperatore faded late Saturday night, the slain hero’s wife, daughters, and their close-knit community quietly inched toward healing.
Unresolved questions have thwarted that process for a year, although government officials released a few updates just before the one-year anniversary of Comperatore’s slaying and the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.
Butler residents grew teary-eyed as they told The Epoch Times about the impact of Comperatore’s death, and many said they still wonder about the circumstances surrounding it.
On July 13, 2024, a rooftop gunman took aim at Trump during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show. Then a candidate seeking his second presidential term, Trump suffered a gunshot wound to his right ear.
Comperatore, 50, died as he shielded his wife and daughters. Two other rallygoers suffered serious injuries before officers killed the perpetrator with return gunfire.
“We have just had so much support ever since 364 days ago,” daughter Allyson Comperatore, 28, told people at a July 12 concert in memory of her dad, which followed a parade, a program at the South Butler Community Library, and a motorcycle run called Corey’s Cruise.
The gatherings were billed as “A Day of Unity” and raised funds for community groups via the nonprofit Corey Comperatore Foundation.
His 25-year-old daughter, Kaylee Comperatore, said her father would have been surprised to see the turnout. About 100 came to a Friday movie and hundreds more participated in each of the other events, often waving miniature American flags that organizers handed out.
“He couldn’t even imagine having all these people come and support him, because he would never think that he deserved any of this,” she told the crowd that gathered to hear Nashville recording artist Gary Burk III. Some attendees sang along, teary-eyed, as Burk performed a tribute he wrote to honor the fallen hero, “Until We Meet Again (Corey’s Song).”
By Janice Hisle
