The Butler County man who was fatally wounded at a campaign rally for former President and presidential candidate Donald Trump "died a hero" when he shielded his family with his body after a gunman opened fire Saturday at the county Farm Show grounds, Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
Speaking at a midday news conference, Shapiro identified the man as Corey Comperatore, 50, and called his shooting and that of two other men who were wounded by gunfire "shocking, for this Commonwealth and the country."
Shapiro said he had just finished speaking by phone with Comperatore's wife and had learned that Comperatore was a father of girls, a firefighter, a churchgoer, and a man who loved his community and was "an avid supporter of the former president."
"[Comperatore's wife] asked me to share with you that Corey died a hero," the governor said. "He dove on his family to protect them. May his memory be a blessing."
The Pennsylvania State Police identified the two other victims as 57-year-old David Dutch, of New Kensington, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, of Moon Township. Both were in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon, according to Dan Laurent, vice president for corporate communications for Allegheny Health Network.
During brief remarks, President Joe Biden extended his condolences to the family of Comperatore.
“He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired and he lost his life, God love him," Biden said Sunday afternoon.
In social media posts, Comperatore was identified as a former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company in Sarver, Butler County.
A GoFundMe campaign for the family had raised close to $190,000 as of early Sunday afternoon. A second GoFundMe to support all of the victims — set up by Trump’s financial director — raised more than $1.6 million by Sunday afternoon.
The governor ordered flags to fly at half-staff at all commonwealth facilities and public buildings and grounds in Pennsylvania to honor Comperatore. He also decried the actions of the shooter, identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park. Secret Service agents shot and killed Crooks on the roof of a building near the Farm Show grounds after they said he opened fire shortly after the start of the rally attended by thousands of people. Investigators have said they are still working to determine a motive for his actions.
“Disagreements are okay, but we need to use a peaceful political process to settle those differences,” Shapiro said. “This is a moment where all leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity. We're all leaders need to take down the temperature and rise above the hateful rhetoric that exists and search for a better, brighter future for this nation.”
Shapiro said he had spoken with relatives of one of the injured men, and he urged all Pennsylvanians to pray for their recovery. He declined to provide details about the ongoing investigation of the shooting or to answer questions about whether police and the U.S. Secret Service should have done more to secure the area around the Farm Show grounds before the rally. He referred questions about the shooting and investigation to the FBI and the Pennsylvania State Police.
“My message to all Pennsylvanians, my message to all Americans is to be firm in your beliefs, to believe what you believe, to advocate for what you believe, and to be engaged in the political and civic process, but to always do so peacefully,” he said. “To remember that while we may be Democrats or Republicans, above all else, we are Americans.”
The alleged shooter
Little was immediately known about Crooks, a 2022 graduate of Bethel Park High School. Voter registration records showed he was registered as a Republican. No one answered the telephone or responded to a message left at the red-brick ranch home where he lived on a street lined with modest brick homes, and the neighborhood surrounding the home was quiet early Sunday. The only indications of a connection to Saturday's events were police blockades preventing entry to the block in which the house is located.
"From background I've gotten from people that I know that have gone to school with him, he was your typical average kid — more on the quiet side, relatively intelligent," said Allegheny County Councilor Dan Grzybek, who represents the district that includes Bethel Park.
Grzybek noted that Crooks, while a student, had won a $500 math and science scholarship and called him "a pretty decent student."
"Everyone I spoke to was very surprised by this," he said.
In an interview, a Bethel Park woman whose child knew Crooks and attended high school classes with him described him as "just a quiet kid ... just a quiet, little, tiny 105-pound kid."
"I hate to stereotype, but he was just like a little nerd," said the woman, who asked to be identified only as Kathy. "He was just a smart [kid]."
Late Saturday, a person who identified herself as "Thomas' Mom" posted a story to an Instagram account bearing Crooks' name and a brief profile statement: "Life sucks/20 years old." In the story, the writer said "Thomas was a great boy and did very well in school," but added that he "was dealing with a lot of built-up anger from bullies."
"I know what my son has done and I had no idea what built up all this anger . . . " the writer posted before concluding: "Rip, His Mom."
The account had been deactivated on Sunday.
Julia Zenkevich, Christopher Ayers, Chris Potter, Cindi Lash and Susan Scott Peterson of WESA contributed to this report.
