Helen Comperatore has been approached by the Trump campaign to join the former president on stage when he returns to Butler
The widow of the man killed during the assassination attempt on Donald Trump last month has said she may join the former president on stage when he returns to the complete the rally that was interrupted.
Corey Comperatore was killed protecting his wife and daughters when Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on 13 July.
His wife, Helen, and his daughters, Kaylee and Allyson, spoke to Action News 4 on Friday about the tragic events that took place.
“He definitely was a hero,” said Helen Comperatore.
“He saved his wife, he saved his child and he was just the best guy. He was just the best.”
Helen went on to say that she wanted people to remember him not “as the man that was shot at the rally,” but “as he was”: “a great man that was a great father. He was a great husband.”
His daughters also told Action News about exactly what happened when their father was killed.
“I was the one that my dad threw down. As he was throwing me down, that was when he was shot and he ended up falling onto me,” Allyson said.
“I don’t remember hearing any other shots. I don’t remember feeling any other shots. In that moment, I was trying to take care of him.
“I was really confused when he was on me. I had turned around, and I went, ‘Dad,’ and when I turned is whenever he fell down, and that’s when I started screaming and instantly I was trying to keep him from bleeding.”
“I started screaming, but in my head, I kept saying, ‘Wake up,’ like this is a dream,” Kaylee said. “And then you realize it’s not a dream, and you feel like your whole world is just over.”
Helen Comperatore told Action News that she has been approached by the Trump campaign to join the former president on stage when he returns to Butler in October. She said that she would consider doing so, but only if she was satisfied with security arrangements in place.
During the interview, she expressed her anger at security failures on the day of the assassination attempt.
“I want justice for my husband, and I’m going to get it,” she said, adding that she has hired an attorney.
The daughters also slammed security for failing to protect their father.
“I just want them to know that I really think my dad’s blood is on their hands, and I hope they wake up every day thinking about what they took from our family,” Kaylee said.
“Because we have to wake up every day and see that image of our father in our head, and no child should ever have to see that.”
Two other people in the crowd at the rally were shot. David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, are both recovering at home after being discharged from hospital.