SARVER, Pa. — “Get down!”
Those were the final words of volunteer firefighter and father of two Corey Comperatore as he shielded his family from a sniper who opened fire on former President Donald Trump, his grieving widow told The Post.
“He’s my hero,” Helen Comperatore said from her home here on Monday. “He just said, ‘Get down!’ That was the last thing he said.”
Helen Comperatore told The Post her late husband, Corey, shouted, “Get down!” before shielding his family from gunfire during the assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania Trump rally. G.N.Miller/NYPost
Comperatore was struck and killed by a bullet intended for former President Donald Trump at the Butler rally on July 13, 2024. Facebook/Helen ComperatoreHelen said President Biden tried to call to console the family after the shooting, but she wanted none of it.
Police officers rushing to remove Comperatore from the stands after the shooting. AFP via Getty Images“I didn’t talk to Biden. I didn’t want to talk to him,” Helen Comperatore said. “My husband was a devout Republican and he would not have wanted me to talk to him.”
Corey Comperatore, 50, a former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, was with his family at Trump’s rally in nearby Butler on Saturday when deranged sniper Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire, grazing the former president, wounding two others — and killing Comperatore.
Helen refused to talk to President Biden following her husband’s death — saying that “devout Republican” Corey would not have wanted her to. G.N.Miller/NYPost
Comperatore was a former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, via REUTERS
Helen called Corey her hero. Facebook
The entire Comperatore family was at the rally. Facebook/Helen ComperatoreHelen Comperatore said the childhood sweethearts were on the verge of celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary when the family headed to the rally to support their candidate.
“Me and the kids were all there as a family,” she said. “He was just excited. It was going to be a nice day with the family.
“It was a bad day,” she added.
“He was a very loving husband,” she said.
Comperatore was close to celebrating his 29th wedding anniversary. Facebook/Helen Comperatore“He was a simple man but he put his wife and kids first all the time. I did nothing here. I didn’t lift a finger. He did everything.”
On Saturday, he died protecting his family, Helen said.
As screams rang out, Trump was grazed in the ear, Comperatore was killed and two others were wounded — David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 54, who were critically injured but are expected to recover.
Comperatore with his daughter Allyson. FacebookHelen said she’s been overwhelmed by support since the tragedy. A GoFundMe set up by her family has raised $990,000.
“The donations that are coming in across the community and across the country, it’s more than I can even imagine,” she said. “It’s more than I can fathom, but he deserves it all. He deserves everything.”
She said the family has not heard from Trump — but is steadfast that Biden isn’t welcome.
Comperatore’s uniform hanging at his firehouse. G.N.Miller/NYPost
A memorial to Comperatore. G.N.Miller/NYPost“I don’t have any ill will towards Joe Biden,” she said. “I’m not one of those people that gets involved in politics. I support Trump, that’s who I’m voting for, but I don’t have ill will towards Biden.
“He didn’t do anything to my husband. A 20-year-old despicable kid did.”
