Buffalo Twp. man killed at rally remembered as good neighbor, dedicated public servant

Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in memory of Corey Comperatore.

By JOYCE HANZ
Trib Total Media

Flags across Pennsylvania will fly at half-staff to honor the Buffalo Township man killed Saturday when shots rang out at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler County.

Corey Comperatore, who recently turned 50, was remembered by family members, friends and elected officials as a dedicated family man and public servant who went out of his way to help others in the community.

“Corey was the very best of us,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said during a news conference Sunday afternoon in Butler Township.

Shapiro said he spoke with Comperatore’s family and shared his condolences with Comperatore’s wife and two children. He said he also spoke with the family of one of the two critically injured shooting victims and had received a detailed message from the other.

“The Comperatore family remains in our thoughts and prayers. They have some very challenging times ahead of them. They will have an empty seat at the dinner table for the rest of their lives,” the governor said. “We need to make sure that Corey’s memory is forever a blessing.”

Shapiro, who ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in memory of Comperatore, described Comperatore as a “girl dad” and firefighter who loved his family and community and went to church every Sunday.

According to Comperatore’s wife, Shapiro said, Comperatore dove on his family to protect them during the rally.

Word of Comperatore’s death spread quickly around his small, rural township in southeastern Butler County and neighboring communities.

A Freeport Area High School graduate, Comperatore formerly served as chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company and was a life member of the department. Comperatore’s fire gear will remain permanently on display in the firehouse, officials said.

Inside the firehouse Sunday, Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company Chief Kip Johnston remained in shock and disbelief as he fielded a steady stream of media requests from across the country.

“He was humble,” Johnston said. Added grieving fellow firefighter Randy Reamer of Cabot: “(Comperatore) was a great guy. You could learn anything from him. There’s no one I would have rather went into a fire with. He was just great.”

Lee Johnston, wife of the chief and a volunteer, recalled watching Comperatore grow up and join the fire department as a young man.

“We’re such a tight-knit community … it hasn’t hit yet,” Lee Johnston said.

Matt Achilles of Buffalo Township, who lived near Comperatore for four years, described Comperatore as a good neighbor and dedicated public servant.

“He lived about six houses down from us,” Achilles said, adding that Comperatore attended Saturday’s rally with his wife and two children.

“He was a good person,” Achilles said Sunday morning. “We might not have agreed on the same political views, but that didn’t stop him from being a good friend and neighbor.”

Achilles recalled Comperatore’s generous nature and friendly demeanor.

“He donated money to us when I was in the hospital, and he would always come by at our yard sales. He always waved hello when I drove past his house,” Achilles said.

Buffalo Township Supervisor Mike Oehling Jr. said he posted a condolence message to his personal Facebook page Saturday night honoring Comperatore.

In that post, Oehling wrote, “REST IN PEACE. Gone too soon. Father, friend and patriot. Will never be forgotten. May his memory live on as an example to all of us. God Bless Corey Comperatore.”

Comperatore’s sister Dawn Comperatore Schafer took to her Facebook page Sunday to memorialize her late brother.

“The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most,” read the post from Comperatore’s sister, who could not be reached immediately for comment.

Corey Comperatore was employed as a project and tooling engineer at JSP, according to his Facebook and LinkedIn profiles.

Neighbor Mona Giori, 83, said she learned about Comperatore’s tragic passing from her daughter, who lives next door.

“I was shocked. I really was. I feel so bad for them,” Giori said. “I would always wave with him when he walked by with his dogs.”

“It’s a shame not only for the violence, but for this to come into a rural environment that’s normally very peaceful. It was all so shocking,” Giori said.

Buffalo Township’s Jason Bubb, a family friend, said he created a Go-FundMe account on behalf of Allyson Comperatore, Corey’s daughter, in an effort to raise $7,000. As of 5 p.m. Sunday, it had raised more than $500,000.

“We’re all coming together at this point. It’s amazing, but I’m not stopping,” Bubb said of the fundraising effort. “(The fundraiser) just shows how much support as a country we can show the family. We need to be together, all divided.”

Bubb said he’s still trying to process the tragedy but plans to hold an event next month to honor Comperatore’s memory.

“He thought about everyone,” Bubb said. “It’s so upsetting to lose someone that did so much. This is crazy, and myself, the community and everyone wants to honor Corey’s memory.”

In a joint statement issued by the Buffalo Township Supervisors, board members said they were “deeply saddened by the loss of Corey Comperatore. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Comperatore family, and all those affected by Saturday’s violence. Corey was a dedicated husband, father, friend and volunteer to the community, and will be sorely missed. Political violence is always unacceptable and should be condemned.”

Freeport Mayor Zack Gent issued a statement Sunday describing community members in neighboring Freeport as “heartbroken.”

Gent thanked Comperatore for his decades of service as a volunteer firefighter in Buffalo Township and the surrounding area.

“On behalf of the Borough of Freeport, its first responders, its leadership and its residents, I want to send my sincerest condolences to Corey’s family,” Gent said. “We get by with a little help from our friends. Being a member of Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, I’m sure Corey assisted our fire department and residents on more than one occasion. I’m heartbroken for his family and friends. I thank him for his service to his community, and ours.”