It appears former President Donald Trump will not attend Friday’s funeral for Corey Comperatore, the Buffalo Township man killed at Trump’s rally Saturday in Butler County.

Earlier Wednesday, sources told TribLive — and multiple news outlets reported — Trump planned to attend Friday’s private funeral service for Comperatore.

Late Wednesday afternoon, the same news outlets reported the Republican presidential nominee would not be able to attend the funeral. Trump will be at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday night to accept his party’s nomination for president. His speech was not scheduled to begin until almost 10 p.m.

Freeport Mayor Zach Gent, who has been in close collaboration with local law enforcement as the borough plans to host the public visitation Thursday and parts of the funeral procession Friday, said he was told Trump would not be in the area Thursday for Comperatore’s public visitation services.

Gent was not aware of Trump’s plans for Friday but said it would be “in his character” for the former president to attend in support of Comperatore’s wife, Helen, and two daughters, Allyson and Kaylee, as well as the broader community.

“I think if they’re able to pull this off in less than a week, it’s not a political show or a political move,” Gent said. “I think it’s an emotional, heartfelt decision for him to come here if he does.”

Officials at Redmond Funeral Home in Freeport, which is handling arrangements for Comperatore, called the situation regarding Trump’s attendance “fluid,” but confirmed talks were held about how to handle the situation should Trump decide to attend.

Pastor Jonathan Fehl of Cabot Church, where the private service could be held, posted a statement at the church saying that the church is focused only on helping the Comperatore family and is asking the public to respect their privacy.

“We are focused on preparing for this unexpected celebration of Corey’s life and of the life eternal we believe he is now experiencing. We appreciate continued prayers for the family, and we ask that you respect their privacy as they mourn his loss and celebrate his life as a loving husband and father. Our congregation also continues to pray for the family, for our community and for our nation.”

Gent noted this level of public grief is usually reserved for police officers or firefighters killed in the line of duty.

“This is history in the making,” he said.

The funeral preparations and proceedings will impact swaths of Freeport, Buffalo Township and Winfield Township over the next three days with “no parking” signs, lane restrictions and road closures.

Authorities expect an enormous turnout for Comperatore, 50, a Freeport Area High School graduate and former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. Although the funeral home is handling arrangements, police say they’re heavily involved in coordinating the safety and logistics of services, too.

The public viewing will be from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Laube Hall in Freeport. The funeral service Friday will be private, but large crowds are expected to line the funeral procession route.

Community members will have other opportunities to pay their respects.

The Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company has opened its station to people who wish to donate to Comperatore’s family or visit a small memorial fashioned from his turnout gear. Firefighters have been fielding calls with condolences and requests for funeral information from across the Alle-Kiski Valley and beyond.

In an earlier Facebook post, Helen Comperatore, the widow of Corey Comperatore, said Trump offered his condolences over the phone and promised to call again.

“I told him the same thing I told everyone else,” she said in the post. “He left this world a hero, and God welcomed him in. He did not die in vain that day.”

She turned down a call from President Joe Biden, telling the New York Post that her husband “was a devout Republican, and he would not have wanted me to talk to him.”

The two other men shot at the rally, David Dutch, 57, of Plum, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon, have been upgraded from critical to serious condition, Allegheny Health Network announced about 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Dutch is said by friends to have suffered one gunshot wound to the chest and another to the liver.

Copenhaver is recovering from “life-altering injuries,” his family said in a statement Tuesday.

Authorities have identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, as the shooter at the rally. He was killed by the Secret Service after firing shots but not before grazing Trump’s ear and striking three other victims.

This story is published as part of a collaboration with TribLive.