Elmhurst Residents Pray For Trump After Assassination Attempt

ELMHURST, IL – Residents attended a prayer event for former President Donald Trump on Sunday outside Elmhurst City Hall, organizers said.

"Following the devastating assassination attempt of President Trump, a small group of Elmhurst residents organized a prayer vigil to pray for our nation," resident Melissa Lameka said in an email to Patch. "In less than 24 hours, we pulled our resources together and organized a peaceful service that was attended by over 100 people."

Lameka credited the event to the leadership of former Elmhurst Alderman Mark Mulliner.

Mulliner called for event participants to pray for Trump and Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter who was killed while shielding his family, as well as others who were injured in the shooting.

"Last evening, the discourse in America took a turn that no one should ever want to happen," Mulliner said. "It is time to comfort your families, your spouses, your children, your grandchildren and your neighbors. It is time for us to hold them tight and reach out to our God for comfort and guidance."

Lameka showed a photo of Mayor Scott Levin standing across the street during the prayer event, which she said was open to everyone. She noted Levin attended local Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Levin spoke about the assassination attempt.

"I am hoping we can agree as a nation that a candidate can be excluded from office by the ballot box but not through an act of violence," the mayor said. "We can't condone this type of violence particularly when it affects our right to choose a president of the United States. Perhaps polarized politics may have contributed to this, perhaps not. I just hope we can move forward in a respectful way and denounce those who would impose their political will through violence."