Jim Copenhaver, one of the people wounded during the 2024 assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died from complications related to the injuries he sustained in the shooting.
Copenhaver, 76, was among three attendees struck by gunfire when shooter Thomas Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop during Trump’s rally on July 13, 2024. He died at a Pittsburgh hospital on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Allegheny County medical examiner cited by local media.
Copenhaver was hit in the arm and abdomen and continued to suffer the effects of his injuries. A bullet remained lodged near his spine a year after the shooting, and he required a cane to walk.
Another rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed in the attack, while Trump was wounded when a bullet grazed his ear. Crooks, 20, was subsequently shot dead by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
Reacting to Copenhaver’s death, Trump described him as a “true American patriot” in a post on his Truth Social platform. Trump also offered condolences to Copenhaver’s family and recalled the shooting as an attack that brought supporters together.
Copenhaver and fellow survivor David Dutch filed a lawsuit against the US government in June, alleging that security failures by the Secret Service contributed to their injuries and seeking damages.
Copenhaver’s death leaves Dutch as the surviving attendee who was wounded in the shooting, while the attack’s other fatality was Comperatore.
