A fire engine has carried Corey Comperatore’s flag-draped coffin to a Pennsylvania church for the funeral of the former fire chief, who was shot and killed when a gunman tried to assassinate Donald Trump last weekend.
Hundreds of firefighters arrived at the church in a procession of more than 100 trucks in a show of support for Mr Comperatore’s grieving relatives and friends.
Outside the church, a massive American flag hung from the ladder of a fire engine.
A sharpshooter team mounted on a nearby rooftop served as a reminder of last weekend’s bloodshed. Officials have said that Mr Comperatore spent his final moments shielding his wife and daughter from gunfire at Mr Trump’s rally last Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Mr Trump, who suffered an ear injury in the shooting but was not seriously hurt, is not going to the funeral because of Secret Service concerns, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Annette Locke, a member of the West Deer Township Volunteer Fire Department, stood across the road from the church and lightly touched her heart as she spoke about the horrific toll from the “totally senseless” shooting.
“He was with his family on a beautiful sunny day, and now he’s gone,” Ms Locke said.
Joe and Jen Brose stood at the edge of their driveway with their three young boys, all dressed in T-shirts celebrating the USA, watching the long procession of fire and emergency trucks go by.
“The community comes together at times like this,” Joe Brose said.
“I thought it was very heartwarming, it was very humbling to see it,” said Jen Brose, whose sister had attended the Trump rally.
The former president honoured Mr Comperatore during his speech on Thursday night at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
He displayed Mr Comperatore’s firefighting gear on the convention stage, kissing his helmet and heralding the ex-chief as “an unbelievable person”.
Mr Comperatore, 50, 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.
On Thursday, thousands of mourners filed into a banquet hall to pay their respects to Mr Comperatore and his family. Hundreds of people gathered on Wednesday at a vigil for him at a motor racing track.
Guests at Thursday’s visitation for Mr Comperatore saw a slideshow of photos from his life — his wedding, a recent 50th birthday party, time with his daughters, firefighting, fishing, and palling around with his dobermans.
Also on display was a framed copy of a note to Mr Comperatore’s wife signed by Mr Trump and former first lady Melania Trump.
“Corey will forever be remembered as a True American Hero,” the Trumps wrote.
Two other people were wounded at the Trump rally: David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township.
As of Wednesday night, both had been upgraded to serious but stable condition, according to a spokesperson with Allegheny Health Network.
