BY MICHAEL R. SISAK
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, and were urged to seek unity and healing in the rural area of Pennsylvania shaken by the 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.
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.”
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.
Burke said he planned to attend a private funeral nearby on Friday. The public was also invited to pay their respects at a memorial 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.”
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.
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