Final tweets of fallen Trump supporter reveal excitement before tragic rally
The last tweets of Corey Comperatore, a retired firefighter who died shielding his family during an attempted assassination of Donald Trump, capture his excitement for the rally that ultimately cost him his life.
Final moments before the attack
Comperatore, 50, was fatally shot by Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, at a Trump rally where the former president and two others were also wounded. In his final tweet, posted just hours before the incident, Comperatore responded to a question from the popular pro-Trump account ‘Catturd’ about weekend plans. “Trump rally! Butler, PA,” he wrote enthusiastically.
Family’s grief and tributes
Following Comperatore’s death, his sister expressed her grief on Facebook. “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. He was a hero who shielded his daughters,” she wrote. His daughter Allyson added, “He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us. And I want nothing more than to cry on him and tell him thank you.”
Remembered as a hero
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro hailed Comperatore as a hero and described him as an “avid supporter” of Trump. “Corey died a hero,” Shapiro said at a press conference. “Corey was the very best of us.”
Controversial online presence
Comperatore’s Twitter history shows a strong alignment with MAGA talking points. Among his 132 tweets, he expressed support for Vladimir Putin, conspiracy theories about vaccines, and violent rhetoric against Palestinian civilians and climate activists. In a controversial post about Palestinians in Gaza, Comperatore remarked, “They’ll get over it. The Japanese did.” He also made disparaging comments about White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and praised former Trump strategist Steve Bannon.
Details of the shooting
The tragic incident occurred when Crooks opened fire with an AR-style rifle from a roof 130 yards away from the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was hit in the ear, causing him to grab his head and duck amid the chaos.
An emergency room doctor at the rally recounted performing CPR on Comperatore after he was shot. “Somebody over there was screaming ‘he’s been shot, he’s been shot,'” the doctor said. “I made my way over and did CPR chest compressions as well.”
Other victims
Two other attendees, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were critically injured but are in stable condition, according to Pennsylvania State Police.