CABOT, Pennsylvania ‒ Michael Drane held his hand over his head and squinted to see past the billowing mass of an American flag hung from a fire ladder.
The 66-year-old saw two snipers positioned with binoculars atop the Cabot Methodist Church that had once been his sons’ grade school. Below them were dozens of local and regional firefighters and law enforcement.
Friday, the church was a scene of mourning after the nation’s most recent act of political violence, which placed Butler County in the national spotlight as community members grappled with loss and tried to heal.
“You always think this will happen in another county, in another state or on the other side of the world,” Drane said. “You just don’t think it can happen here, to you.”
Six days earlier, roughly 16 miles from the church in Cabot, former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear by Thomas Matthew Crooks. Two others were critically injured. Corey Comperatore was killed shielding his family from Crooks’ bullets.
Comperatore was laid to rest Friday following a private funeral with family and friends. Outside the ceremony, Drane paid his respects, standing alongside his wife and family members.
“We’re just numb, seeing all of this,” he said.
A shaken community grapples with loss
Although Drane didn’t know Comperatore, he drove by their home every day on his way to work, seeing the family at major milestones, including when they moved to the area.
“I saw his wife walking around the front yard when she was pregnant,” Drane said, pointing down the road. “Their house is 3 miles from the church.”
While standing outside Cabot Methodist Church waiting for the funeral service to begin, Drane’s 59-year-old brother James walked down from the church lot after parking his Upper Burrell Township fire engine nearby.
A firefighter and veteran, James Drane said it’s important the country remember Comperatore, a veteran and firefighter, even if he didn’t die carrying out those roles.
“It feels like a police officer who died in the line of duty,” James Drane said. “It almost feels like we’re doing more.”
James Drane’s wife and children died at very young ages, so he feels a connection to Comperatore, who he said died a hero protecting his family.
Looking to the present for optimism
Despite the tragedy, James Drane is optimistic about the future after seeing the outpouring of support from around the nation and the world.
Two GoFundMe pages have raised over $7.7 million that will go toward the Comperatore family and the families of the two other shooting victims, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74. They were said to be in stable condition one day after the shooting. Trump said Thursday they were continuing to progress in their recovery.
In recent days, Drane said he saw fire trucks in his community that had driven from as far away as Massachusetts and West Virginia to honor Comperatore.
Looking down the street at more than a dozen journalists, photographers and cameramen mingling with residents holding flags, he said the nation still can unite and heal.
“Every tragedy has a silver lining,” he said. “This brought the community and the country together.”
Looking to a brighter future for Butler County
During the funeral, Sharon Ambrose, 63, planted American flags in the ground outside her sister-in-law’s home, which sits adjacent to the church. The hard ground proved difficult, so she handed four flags to her grandkids.
Ambrose did not know Comperatore personally but had family who considered him a best friend. Those family members, mostly in-laws, attended the Friday funeral.
“I wanted to show up and support them, even if I’m not in there,” she said.
The assassination attempt left Butler County shaken and has affected everyone, but Ambrose is confident the community will heal and move on.
For example, she said, the 76th annual Butler Farm Show will begin on Aug. 5 and run for five days on the same grounds Comperatore was killed.
“It’s still going forward, but I’m sure (the shooting) will impact it,” Ambrose said. “I’m sure there will be something honoring (Comperatore).”
Her grandkids plan to show cows and pigs. The competition, she said, is something most children in the county look forward to competing in.
“It’s a good way to move on,” Ambrose said.
Corey Comperatore honored, laid to rest
As the funeral wrapped up, Comperatore’s family and friends left the church. Some sat on chairs while others stood outside the front doors. Some wiped away their tears while others stood, watching the honor guard.
When the sound of bagpipes blew from the funeral, onlookers like Ambrose, her sister-in-law and the Dranes stood at attention, saluting toward the church until the last note fell quiet.
The silence that followed enveloped the street outside the church, only to be interrupted by the sharp crack of a gun salute that made some well-wishers flinch.
Moments later, firefighters placed and strapped the casket onto the back of the No. 7 Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Department truck that had carried Comperatore in during the procession.
Ambrose’s grandkids stood along the street waving their flags as others stood with their hats off watching Comperatore’s family drive by on their way to place their loved one to rest in a cemetery a few miles away.
“For the community, this was awful,” Ambrose said. “We’re still going forward.”
Bryce Buyakie is a reporter for the USA Today Network. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.
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