Butler County sheriff reflects on Trump rally shooting
When a gunman took shots at then candidate President Donald Trump at his July 13, 2024, campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds, Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe said he immediately went into “first responder mode.”
Slupe, who has been a part of law enforcement for 39 years and has served as the county’s sheriff since 2010, said his instincts from his days serving in a fire department and EMS kicked in.
“Chairs were all over the place. People were down on the ground,” Slupe said, thinking back to the day of the shooting. “Everyone there has a story. It’s ingrained in their brain and in their mind and in their heart.”
Slupe said he still wonders, “How did this happen here?”
Slupe said he is proud of the way his team, alongside other first responders at the rally, handled the situation. He said first responders and law enforcement worked together seamlessly to deal with the shooting and the aftermath of the attempted assassination.
“Seems like we’re learning more as these investigations wrap up,” Slupe said, referring to the ongoing investigation of the Secret Service’s failure to prevent the act of violence. “What I know is that my team did a great job.”
He went on to call first responders the “heroes of the entire day,” citing the emergencies they dealt with throughout the day, including treating many for heat-related injuries prior to the shooting, which killed Buffalo Township resident Corey Comperatore, critically injured two others and grazed Trump’s ear.
“I did not know him (Corey) but hearing about him, I wish that I did,” Slupe said.
During the next few days, the chaos did not subside for police, Slupe said.
On top of the barrage of outreach from the media that went on for two to three weeks, there was a storm of hostile messages to deal with as well.
“The worst part about it that week was the hate mail, email and phone calls, which I believe every law enforcement that has the name Butler in it received,” Slupe said. “They didn’t deserve that.”
Slupe said he believes it was primarily people outside Pennsylvania who engaged with hostility.
“The people of Butler County, I honestly don’t remember hearing that hatred from them. They were all very, very supporting,” Slupe said. “And that was also a good feeling, knowing that.”
Slupe went on to speak at the Oct. 5 campaign rally where Trump returned to the venue prior to Election Day.
