The person who died during the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump is 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, says his family in a Facebook post.
“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,” his sister Dawn Comperatore Schafer said in the post on Sunday.
Comperatore previously served as the chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed Comperatore’s identity during a news conference on Sunday after speaking to his wife and children, saying he was a father of two daughters who went to church every Sunday.
“Corey was an avid supporter of the former president and was so excited to be there last night with him in the community,” he said, adding that Comperatore’s wife “asked that I share with all of you that Corey died a hero, that Corey dove on his family to protect them last night, at this rally”.
The suspect who tried to kill the Republican presidential candidate during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania’s Butler County was identified by authorities as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, whose exact motives remain unknown.
The suspect, a resident of Bethel Park in Pennsylvania, opened fire – using an assault rifle from the roof of a nearby building – on the president and injured his right ear before Trump was surrounded and taken away by security forces.
Crooks was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper seconds after he allegedly opened fire towards the stage where Trump was delivering a speech.
He also injured two other people, who are reportedly in critical condition.
Explosive devices were reportedly found inside the suspect’s vehicle and his house was searched by authorities.
