By Kevin Manahan
nj.com
MILWAUKEE — As Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president on the final night of the Republican National Convention on Thursday in Milwaukee, he paid tribute to the fireman who was killed by a would-be assassin’s bullet at a rally Saturday in Butler, Pa.
But when Corey Comperatore’s gear was brought on stage, there was a glaring error: His name, embroidered on a fireman’s coat was misspelled as “Compertore.”
That’s how his name was embroidered by the Buffalo Township fire department, however.
CBS News learned from the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company that this had been done intentionally because there was only enough space on the coat for a certain number of letters.
Trump asked for a moment of silence for Comperatore, 50, who died while shielding his family from the bullets. Trump walked over to the gear on display on the Milwaukee stage and kissed the helmet.
“Tragically the shooter claimed the life of one of our fellow Americans, Corey Comperatore, unbelievable person, everybody tells me,” Trump said.
“He was incredible, he was a highly respected former fire chief. He lost his life selflessly acting as a human shield to protect them from flying bullets. He went right over the top of them and was hit. What a fine man he was.”
Comperatore, of Sarver, Pa., raised two daughters with his high school sweetheart while working as a project and tooling engineer. He also spent a decade as an Army reservist and many years as a volunteer firefighter, where he also served for a time as chief, according to his obituary.
A GoFundMe, started by the Trump campaign, had raised more than $6 million as of Thursday. As he gave his address, Trump pulled from his pocket a million-dollar check from a donor.
Two other attendees, 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, were critically injured but survived, while Trump was wounded when he said a bullet pierced his right ear. Trump wore a bandage on his ear for all the nights of the convention.
The two survivors will share in the money raised by the GoFundMe, Trump said.
The former president opened his address by describing the attempt on his life.
“I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me, really hard, on my right ear,” Trump said Thursday. “I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that, it can only be a bullet.’ And moved my right hand to my ear, brought it down, and my hand was covered with blood.”
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