As Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president on the final night of the Republican National Convention Thursday in Milwaukee, he paid tribute to the firefighter who was killed by a would-be assassin’s bullet at a rally Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania.
But when Corey Comperatore’s crew took the stage, there was one glaring mistake: his name, embroidered on a firefighter’s coat, was misspelled as “Compertore.”
This is how the Buffalo Township Fire Department embroidered its name.
CBS News has learned from the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company that this was done intentionally, because there was only enough room in the shelter for a certain number of letters.
Trump called for a moment of silence for Comperatore, 50, who died while shielding his family from bullets. Trump walked over to the equipment on display on the stage in Milwaukee and kissed the helmet.
“Tragically, the shooter took the life of one of our fellow Americans, Corey Comperatore, an incredible person, everyone tells me,” Trump said.
“It was amazing, he was a very respected former fire chief. He selflessly lost his life acting as a human shield to protect them from the bullets that were flying. He drove over them and got hit. What a great man he was.”
Comperatore, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, raised two daughters with his high school sweetheart while working as a project and tool 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.
On Thursday, Trump’s campaign launched a GoFundMe campaign that had raised more than $6 million. Upon giving his address, Trump pulled a $1 million check from a donor out of his pocket.
Two other attendees, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were seriously injured but survived, while Trump was wounded when he said a bullet pierced his right ear. Trump wore a bandage on his ear every night of the convention.
The two survivors will share the money raised by Go Fund Me, Trump said.
The former president began his speech by describing the attempt on his life.
“I heard a loud whooshing sound and I felt something hit me, very hard, in my right ear,” Trump said Thursday. “I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that? It could only be a bullet.’ And I put my right hand up to my ear, and I put it down, and my hand was covered in blood.”
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