The spectator who died during a shooting at a rally by former president Donald Trump has been identified as Corey Comperatore, 50, a firefighter and father of two daughters.

He died shielding his family from the gunshots.

Threw family to ground

One of his daughters, Allyson, said in a Facebook post after the attempted assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Jul. 13 (United States time): "The media will not tell you that he died a real-life superhero."

"They are not going to tell you how quickly he threw my mom and I to the ground. They are not going to tell you that he shielded my body from the bullet that came to us."

Comperatore's sister, Dawn Comperatore Schafer, wrote in a Facebook post on Jul. 14: "The PA Trump rally claimed the life of my brother, Corey Comperatore. The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most."

Comperatore previously served as the chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

A GoFundMe page created to raise money for the Comperatore family has received donations of nearly US$786,000 (S$1.05 million) as of Jul. 15 (Singapore time), surpassing the US$7,000 goal by a wide margin.

State flag to fly at half-mast

The governor of Pennsylvania hailed Comperatore as a "hero" and said state flags would be flown at half-staff in his honour.

Governor Josh Shapiro also called the late churchgoing firefighter an "avid supporter of the former president" and said state flags would be flown at half-mast to honour the fallen Pennsylvanian.

The other victims, who were injured, were identified as David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.

Both were also from Pennsylvania and said to be "in stable condition".

They were said to have been in critical condition following the shooting.

The shooter, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of nearby Bethel Park, was killed by a Secret Service sniper.

Top photos via Comperatore family