Jim Sweetland, a retired doctor from DuBois, was in the stands at the Trump rally Saturday in Butler when, what first sounded like firecrackers to him, started. Sweetland then realized it was gunfire.
A man, later identified as Corey Comperatore, had been shot down. Sweetland saw that former President Donald Trump was surrounded by Secret Service members. Sweetland then heard a woman calling out: He’s been shot. He’s down.
Sweetland made his way over other people to get to the man, Comperatore, a 50-year-old former fire chief.
“I've been in the emergency department," Sweetland said, looking back on that moment. "I've seen a lot. I've never been at an active shooting scene. That's a total definitely different scenario.”
Sweetland said, with help, he was able to get Comperatore, who was in between the benches, on top of one.
“I began CPR," Sweetland said. "I performed chest compressions and mouth to mouth resuscitation for about two minutes.”
Then the state police took over.
"And then one of the EMS (workers) came up and turned to me and said, 'Are you family?' I said no. I looked up and there was what I now know to be his wife and daughter," Sweetland said.
“There was so much sorrow when I looked in the eyes of his family," he said. "That was indescribable.”
Comperatore, who had been shielding his family, died.
Sweetland grew up in State College, and went to Penn State and the Penn State Hershey medical school. He lives in Treasure Lake in Clearfield County, and he still fills in as an emergency room doctor in Lock Haven when needed.
He said he would like to see everyone lower the political temperature and talk with people with different political views and backgrounds.
