Spectator wounded during Trump assassination attempt in Butler has died, Republicans say

A man who was wounded during the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024 has died, lawmakers said.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jim Copenhaver, who was gravely wounded in the horrific shooting in Butler,” House Republicans wrote on social media on Thursday. “Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance.”

“We join his family and loved ones in mourning his loss and praying for them during this difficult time,” the post stated. “May he rest in peace.”

A Pennsylvania resident, Copenhaver was attending a Trump rally in Butler on July 13, 2024, when a gunman opened fire at the Republican candidate from a rooftop. Copenhaver, who was 75 at the time, was shot twice – once in his abdomen and once in his arm. He was hospitalized and discharged about one week later.

It’s unclear whether he died as a result of injuries sustained in the shooting.

“I don’t have many details at this point, but it’s no secret that Jim was dealing with permanent injuries from Butler—including having bullet fragments still inside of him,” Ken Silva, who wrote a book on the assassination attempt, said in a Thursday social media post.

One other spectator, David Dutch, was wounded in the attack. Another attendee, Corey Comperatore, died. The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by the Secret Service. Trump himself narrowly survived the open-air assassination attempt, with a bullet grazing his right ear.

The shooting, about four months before the 2024 election, sparked fears of political violence and condemnations from politicians across the political spectrum. Trump framed his survival in religious terms, saying he was saved “by the hand of providence.” He also suggested, without evidence, that a “Democrat plot” was behind the attempt.

During an interview with Fox News last year, Copenhaver recounted the shooting.

“I turned around and I got a shot here in my left tricep, and then I turned around and there was another bullet that entered into my solar plexus area," he told the outlet. "I like to jest a little bit and say that the bullet that grazed me here was the one that hit Trump in the ear because I thought I saw a little earwax on my arm.”

“Obviously, it wasn't,” he added. “I mean, it's just some of the dry humor that comes along from being in a traumatic situation.”

In June, he filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania federal court, alleging the Secret Service “utterly failed to provide required, proper, appropriate, timely and/or necessary security,” at or ahead of the rally.

His injuries required extensive surgeries, according to the lawsuit, which was filed the same day as a separate suit by David Dutch. He previously said he had trouble walking up and down stairs and now required assistance from his family members.

Copenhaver sought at least $150,000 in compensatory damages, excluding attorney and court fees. The suit still appears to be pending.

Trump has described Copenhaver and David Dutch as “two Great Patriots.”

Multiple official reviews — including a House report, a Senate report and a Government Accountability Office report — found that the shooting was preventable, but that the Secret Service did not take all precautions to secure the area of the rally.

The reports also found that agents failed to establish clear lines of communication and leadership before the event and did not possess the necessary resources to protect Trump.

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