Corey Comporatre's Wife Opens up About Her Husband's Last Moments Before He Was Killed
"It’s more than I can fathom, but he deserves it all. He deserves everything."
Published July 19 2024, 1:14 p.m. ET
On July 18, 2024, a memorial was held for the firefighter killed at the rally where former president Donald Trump was nearly assassinated. Corey Comperatore's wife and his two daughters released a statement saying he was "our beloved father and husband, and a friend to so many throughout the Butler region." They went on to say he loved and cared for them, and they thanked everyone for sending supportive messages.
Comperatore was killed while shielding his family from the bullets meant for the former president, who then brought the firefighter's turnout gear onto the stage of the Republican National Convention. Since that time, Comperatore's widow has revealed what he said in his final moments. She has also commented on both Biden and Trump's reactions. Here's what we know.
Corey Comperatore's wife Helen declined to speak with Biden, but did take Trump's call.
According to the New York Post, Helen Comperatore refused to speak with President Biden when he reached out after her husband's death. "I didn’t want to talk to him," she told the outlet. "My husband was a devout Republican and he would not have wanted me to talk to him." Helen was quick to say she doesn't have negative feelings for Biden. "He didn’t do anything bad to my husband. A 20-year-old despicable kid did." She also added that Trump had yet to contact her as of July 15.
Helen didn't have to wait long as the New York Times reported Trump reached out the following day, on Tuesday, July 16. "He was very kind and said he would continue to call me in the days and weeks ahead," she wrote in a social media post. She says she told the former president that Corey "left this world a hero, and God welcomed him in."
Donations for the Comperatore family have been rolling in via a GoFundMe.
The couple was about to celebrate their 29th wedding anniversary. They were high school sweethearts and were looking forward to the Trump rally.
Their story has touched people across the country, many of whom have chosen to send money to the Comperatore family. "It’s more than I can fathom, but he deserves it all. He deserves everything," said Helen.
A GoFundMe was also set up by her daughter's personal trainer, who wrote, "Saturday night, our friend and family, Allyson, lost her father due to a senseless, tragic act at the Trump Rally in Butler." He also mentioned a donation area would be set up at her gym.
The GoFundMe has raised over $1 million out of a $7,000 goal. More than 22,000 people have donated. This will undoubtedly help a family who describes their patriarch as a hero. Helen told the New York Post her husband 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."
