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Former President Trump assassination attempt victim Corey Comperatore’s wife and daughters sat down for their first formal interview since Comperatore was fatally shot at the former president’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on July 13.
Comperatore, a 50-year-old retired volunteer fire chief, was the only victim of the assassination attempt against the former president to die of his injuries.
“He definitely was a hero. He saved his wife. He saved his child, and he was just the best guy,” Comperatore’s wife of 29 years, Helen Comperatore, told WTAE.
Helen added that her husband was a “wonderful man,” and she wants the world to remember him for who he was, not just “as the man that was shot at the rally.”
TASK FORCE ON ATTEMPTED TRUMP ASSASSINATION SETS DATE FOR FIRST SHOOTING SITE VISIT
Former Buffalo Township Fire Chief Corey Comperatore pictured with his daughters in an undated family photo. (Helen Comperatore/Facebook)
“Just remember Corey as he was — a great man who was a great father, great husband.”
His daughter Kaylee reflected on security failures at the rally that led to her father’s death.
“[B]lood is on their hands.”
“I just want [security] to know I really think my dad’s blood is on their hands,” she told WTAE, “and I hope they wake up every day thinking about what they took from our family, 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.”
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, center, an attendee killed during gunfire at a campaign rally of Republican presidential candidate former President Trump, is seen in this undated Buffalo Township Fire Company 27 handout photo. (Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Dept/Handout via REUTERS)
Comperatore’s other daughter, Allyson, remembered the moment her father used his body to shield hers from gunfire.
“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 on to me,” she said. “And I don’t remember hearing any other shots … In that moment, I was trying to take care of him. I was really confused when he was on me.
BUTLER DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS LOCAL SNIPERS WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ROOFTOP SHOOTER FIRED FROM
Volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, center, an attendee killed during gunfire at a campaign rally of Republican presidential candidate former President Trump, is seen in this undated Buffalo Township Fire Company 27 handout photo. (Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Dept/Handout via REUTERS)
“I had turned around, I went, ‘Dad’ — he fell down, and that’s when I started screaming, and I was trying to keep him from bleeding,” she continued.
Kaylee also remembered screaming and initially thinking she was in a dream.
TRUMP PLANS RETURN TO PENNSYLVANIA ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SITE, SAYS LAW ENFORCEMENT ‘WILL LEARN FROM THIS’
A memorial for volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, an attendee killed during gunfire at a campaign rally of Republican presidential candidate former President Trump, is displayed at the Buffalo Township Fire Company 27 in Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania, July 14, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
“And then you realize it’s not a dream, and you feel like your whole world is just over,” she said.
Comperatore served 10 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, according to his obituary. He loved to go fishing every weekend, rain or shine, and he loved his family, Helen told WTAE.
FUMING POLICE OFFICER SAYS HE TOLD SECRET SERVICE TO SECURE TRUMP SHOOTER BUILDING DAYS BEFORE RALLY: BODYCAM
A statue in front of Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, Sarver, Pennsylvania, Sunday, July 28, 2024. The statue is surrounded by flowers and flags in honor of Fire Chief Corey Comperatore, who was shot and killed at a former President Trump rally in Butler on July 13. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Trump commemorated the fallen firefighter at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, a week after the assassination attempt, with Comperatore’s firefighter jacket and helmet displayed on stage.
Helen told WTAE Trump’s tribute to her husband at the RNC “was a big honor.”
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: PENNSYLVANIA POLICE RELEASE BODYCAM FROM DEADLY BUTLER RALLY
Republican presidential nominee former President Trump touches the turnout coat of former Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department chief Corey Comperatore on Day 4 of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Thursday, July 18, 2024. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)
“All day at the rally, my husband kept saying, ‘He’s gonna call me up on stage. You’re gonna hear him. He’s gonna say Corey, get on up here!’ He was just joking, obviously,” she explained.
When Trump paid tribute to Comperatore on stage, his family thought, “There’s his moment. He’s up on stage,” Helen said.
The Comperatore family has hired counsel to help them get justice for their beloved husband and father.
“I want justice for my husband, and I’m going to get it,” Helen said.
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new video loaded: Hochul and Mamdani Announce Plan for Universal Child Care
transcript
transcript
“Today, we’re working together with the mayor at this incredible place to announce the first major steps to make child care universal — truly universal — here in New York City, transforming the lives of children and parents all across the state.” “We will build on the city’s existing three-K program, and say, no longer will a family in Flatbush be offered a seat, but have to find out that seat is in Astoria. We will add seats in the neighborhoods where demand has not been met. This will be felt by expanded subsidies for tens of thousands of additional families. It will be felt when parents look at their bank accounts at the end of the year, and see that they have saved more than $20,000 per child.” “And today, I’m proud to announce that New York State is paying the full cost to launch 2-care. For the first time — universal daycare for 2-year-olds, as proposed by Mayor Mamdani. We’re not just paying for one year of the program. We don’t usually go one year out in our budget, but just to let you know how serious we are, we’re taking the unprecedented step to not just commit for the 2027 budget, which I’m working on right now, but also the following year as well to show you we’re in this for the long haul.”
By Meg Felling
January 8, 2026
Local News
A Boston nightclub where a woman collapsed on the dance floor and died last month will have its entertainment license reinstated after the Boston Licensing Board found no violations Thursday.
Anastaiya Colon, 27, was at ICON, a nightclub in Boston’s Theater District, in the early hours of Dec. 21 when she suffered a fatal medical episode. Following the incident, her loved ones insisted that the club’s staff did not respond professionally and failed to control crowds.
City regulators suspended ICON’s entertainment license pending an assessment of any potential violations. During a hearing Tuesday, they heard from attorneys representing the club and people who were with Colon the night she died.
As EMTs attempted to respond, crowds inside the club failed to comply with demands to give them space, prompting police to shut down the club, according to a police report of the incident. However, the club and its representatives were adamant that staff handled their response and crowd control efforts properly.
Kevin Montgomery, the club’s head of security, testified that the crowd did not impede police or EMTs and that he waited to evacuate the club because doing so would have created a bottleneck at the entrance. Additionally, a bouncer and a bartender both testified that they interacted with Colon, who ordered one drink before collapsing, and did not see any signs of intoxication.
Angelica Morales, Colon’s sister, submitted a video taken on her phone to the board for them to review. Morales testified Tuesday that the video disproves some of the board’s claims and shows that ICON did not immediately respond to the emergency.
“I ran to the DJ booth, literally bombarded everybody that was in my way to get to the DJ booth, told them to cut the music off,” Morales said. “On my way back, the music was cut off for a minute or two, maybe less, and they cut the music back on.”
Shanice Monteiro, a friend who was with Colon and Morales, said she went outside to flag down police officers. She testified that their response, along with the crowd’s, was inadequate.
“I struggled to get outside,” Monteiro said. “Once I got outside, everybody was still partying, there was no type of urgency. Nobody stopped.”
These factors, along with video evidence provided by ICON, did not substantiate any violations on the club’s part, prompting the licensing board to reinstate their entertainment license at a subsequent hearing Thursday.
“Based on the evidence presented at the hearing from the licensed premise and the spoken testimony and video evidence shared with us from Ms. Colon’s family, I’m not able to find a violation in this case,” Kathleen Joyce, the board’s chairwoman, said at the hearing.
However, Joyce further stated that she “was not able to resolve certain questions” about exactly when or why the club turned off the music or turned on the lights. As a result, the board will require ICON to submit an emergency management plan to prevent future incidents and put organized safety measures in place.
“This plan should outline detailed operational procedures in the event of a medical or any other emergency, including protocols for police and ambulance notification, crowd control and dispersal, and procedures regarding lighting and music during an emergency response,” Joyce said.
Though the club will reopen without facing any violations, Joyce noted that there were “lessons left to be learned” from the incident.
“This tragedy has shaken the public confidence in nightlife in this area, and restoring that confidence is a shared obligation,” she said. “People should feel safe going out at night. They should feel safe going to a club in this area, and they should feel safe getting home.”
Keeana Saxon, one of three commissioners on the licensing board, further emphasized the distinction Joyce made between entertainment-related matters and those that pertained to licensing. Essentially, the deciding factor in the board’s decision was the separation of the club’s response from any accountability they may have had by serving Colon liquor.
“I hope that the family does understand that there are separate procedures for both the entertainment and the licensing, just to make sure that on the licensing side, that we understand that she was only served one drink and that it was absolutely unforeseeable for that one drink to then lead to some kind of emergency such as this one,” Saxon said.
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Jack McGregor, a former state senator and the original founder of the Pittsburgh Penguins, died at the age of 91 on Tuesday. The organization announced the news in a post on social media on Thursday.
“The team extends our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and teammates during this difficult time,” a post on X said.
No other information was provided in the post, which was shared before the team’s game at PPG Paints Arena against the New Jersey Devils.
According to his biography on the United States Senate Library, McGregor served in the state Senate from 1963-1970. He represented District 44 in Allegheny County and was a Republican.
He was born in Kittanning, Armstrong County, and attended the University of Pittsburgh and Quinnipiac University before getting into politics, according to his biography. He also served in the United States Marine Corps.
In 1966, the NHL granted a franchise to Pittsburgh after McGregor formed a group of investors that included H. J. Heinz II and Art Rooney. McGregor was named president and chief executive officer by the investors and represented Pittsburgh on the NHL’s Board of Governors, according to his biography.
The team played its first game in 1967 at the Civic Arena. McGregor owned the team for four years before selling it.
There is also a scholarship in his name at Pitt. It aims to provide “financial assistance to a law student who excels academically and has committed to working in the public sector,” the university says.
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