Hundreds of people who gathered to remember the former fire chief fatally shot at a weekend rally for former US president Donald Trump were urged to find "unity" as the area in rural Pennsylvania sought to recover from the assassination attempt.
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Wednesday's public event was the first of two organised to memorialise and celebrate Corey Comperatore's life.
The second, a visitation for friends, was planned for Thursday at Laube Hall in Freeport.
Outside Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, where the vigil was held for Comperatore, a sign read: "Rest in Peace Corey, Thank You For Your Service", with the logo of his fire company.
On the rural road to the auto racing track - lined with cornfields, churches and industrial plants - a sign outside a local credit union read: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Comperatore family."
Comperatore, 50, had worked as a project and tooling engineer, was an army reservist and spent many years as a volunteer firefighter after serving as chief, according to his obituary.
He died on Saturday during the attempt on Trump's life at the rally in Butler.
Comperatore spent the final moments of his life shielding his wife and daughter from gunfire, officials said.
Vigil organiser Kelly McCollough told the crowd on Wednesday the event was not political in nature, adding there was no room for hate or personal opinions other than an outpouring of support for the Comperatore family.
"Tonight is about unity," McCollough said.
"We need each other. We need to feel love. We need to feel safe. We need clarity in this chaos. We need strength. We need healing."
Two other people were injured at the rally: David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township.
As of Wednesday night, both had been upgraded to serious but stable condition, according to a spokesperson with Allegheny Health Network.
In a statement, Dutch's family thanked the "greater western Pennsylvania community and countless others across the country and world" for the outpouring of prayers and well wishes.
Trump suffered an ear injury but was not seriously hurt and has been participating this week in the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Australian Associated Press
