West Central PA News

On Oct. 1, Senator Cris Dush (R-25) and several other Republican lawmakers held a press conference at the state Capitol to honor Dr. James Sweetland for his actions during an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.

“Nearly every time I have the honor of presenting a Senate citation for heroism, I begin by sharing my favorite quote from John Wayne: ‘Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway,’” said Dush. “Dr. Jim Sweetland possesses all the qualities and attributes of the best kind of hero, a hero with a humble servant’s heart willing to apply his God-given skills as a physician to live out John 15:13 which says: ‘Greater love has no one than a person willing to lay down his life for his friends.’”

Representatives Mike Armanini (R-Clearfield/Elk) and Stephanie Borowicz (R-Clinton/Union) also spoke at the event.

“In a crisis situation, the first inclination for many people is to run away from the scene. That afternoon at the Butler Farm Show Grounds in western Pennsylvania, Dr. Sweetland chose to run toward it,” Armanini said. “He’s not an emergency responder in the conventional sense but felt called to be one that day and should be applauded for answering that call.”

“We tell our children to look for the heroes, and Dr. Sweetland was a hero in the midst of pure evil,” Borowicz said. “It is my absolute honor to recognize his actions today, and I offer my sincere gratitude to him for his courageous actions during the cowardly attacks on July 13.”

On July 13, 2024, Sweetland, a retired emergency room physician from Treasure Lake, PA, was attending a presidential campaign rally at the Butler County Fairgrounds when shots were fired into the crowd. After hearing a woman cry for help, Sweetland ran toward an injured man and performed CPR and chest compressions until two Pennsylvania State Police troopers arrived.

The injured man was Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter from Sarver, PA, who suffered a fatal head wound while shielding his family from bullets.

Press conference video: https://vimeo.com/pasenategop/100124dushpresser?share=copy