SARVAR, Pa. (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday to remember the former fire chief shot and killed at a weekend rally for former President Donald Trump in a rural area of Pennsylvania shaken by violence perpetrated by a local 20-year-old man.
Outside Lernersville Speedway in Sarvar, Pennsylvania, where the vigil was being held for Corey Comperatore, a sign read: “Rest in Peace Corey, Thank You For Your Service,” with the logo of his fire company.
On the rural road to the auto racing track — lined with cornfields, churches and industrial plants — a sign outside a local credit union reads: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Comperatore family.”
Comperatore, 50, had worked as a project and tooling engineer, was an Army reservist and spent many years as a volunteer firefighter after serving as chief, according to his obituary.
He died Saturday during an attempt to kill Trump at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Comperatore spent the final moments of his life shielding his wife and daughter from gunfire, officials said.
Vigil organizer Kelly McCollough told the crowd Wednesday the vigil was not an event of a political nature, adding that there was no room for hate or personal opinions other than an outpouring of support for the Comperatore family.
“Tonight is about unity," McCollough said. “We need each other. We need to feel love. We need to feel safe. We need clarity in this chaos. We need strength. We need healing.”
Dan Ritter, who gave a eulogy, said he bought Comperatore’s childhood home in 1993 — sparking a friendship that grew with their shared values of family, Christian faith and politics.
“Corey loved his family and was always spending time with them,” Ritter said. “This past Saturday was supposed to be one of those days for him. He did what a good father would do. He protected those he loved. He’s a true hero for us all.”
Jeff Lowers of the Freeport Fire Department trained with Comperatore and at the vigil said Comperatore always had a smile on his face.
Afterward, Heidi Powell, a family friend, read remarks from Comperatore’s high school economics teacher, who could not attend Thursday’s vigil.
“What made Corey truly extraordinary was his indomitable spirit, unyielding courage, his unflappable optimism,” the teacher, Mark Wyant, wrote.
Before the rally, Comperatore had posted on social media that he had gotten upgraded seats at the event, according to Collin Burke. The 27-year-old lived next door to Comperatore while growing up and had previously volunteered at the firehouse with him.
Hearing about the shooting prompted Burke to send Comperatore a message asking if he was OK.
Comperatore never responded.
“It crushed me,” Burke said Wednesday of Comperatore's death.
Burke said he planned to attend a private funeral nearby on Friday. The public was also invited to pay their respects at a visitation starting Thursday afternoon at Laube Hall in Freeport, Pennsylvania.
As a child, Burke rode the same school bus with Comperatore’s daughters. He remembered Comperatore as having the best lawn on the block, owning two beautiful Dobermans and fishing for bass in his free time.
He described Comperatore as a Trump supporter “through and through” and also as a “very neighborly person.”
The vigil concluded with people in the crowd lighting candles and raising cellphones, glow sticks and lighters in Comperatore’s honor as his favorite song — “I Can Only Imagine” by Christian rock band MercyMe — played while pictures of him and his family were shown on a screen.
Two other people were injured at the rally: David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Copenhaver on Wednesday went from critical to serious condition, according to the family’s attorney, Joseph Feldman.
Trump suffered an ear injury but was not seriously hurt, and has been participating this week in the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
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AP reporters Heather Hollingsworth contributed from Mission, Kansas, and Lisa Baumann contributed from Bellingham, Washington.