Man shot during 2024 Trump campaign rally in Butler dies
A gunman shot Jim Copenhaver twice while also killing another man and grazing Trump's ear with a bullet.
Man shot at 2024 Trump campaign rally in Butler dies
Copenhaver was among three Trump rally attendees shot, along with Trump, whose ear was grazed by a bullet
One of the three people shot at Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died from complications related to his injuries, according to the Pennsylvania attorney general.
Jim Copenhaver, 76, was hit twice when a gunman fired from a nearby rooftop. Another attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed in the attack, and Trump’s ear was grazed by a bullet.
Copenhaver died on Wednesday at a hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, according to a statement from the Allegheny County medical examiner that was shared with local media.
The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was killed by Secret Service after he opened fire.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump described Copenhaver as a "true American patriot".
"More than two years ago in Butler, Pennsylvania, a crazed gunman attempted to stifle our America First Movement. Instead, Jim and so many other wonderful Patriots who love our Country, stood united in defense of our shared values of Freedom, Liberty, and Justice," Trump said. "Our hearts and prayers are with the Copenhaver family, especially his incredible wife Marianne."
A lawyer for Copenhaver’s family said his commitment to the US was a "defining part of his life".
"As a veteran, he proudly served our nation in the armed forces, and his love of country never wavered," the lawyer said in a statement to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
In an interview with CBS a year after the Butler rally, Copenhaver and David Dutch, the third attendee who was shot, said they had endured infections and surgeries after being wounded.
Copenhaver was shot in the arm and abdomen. A year later, the bullet was still lodged in his body next to his spine, he told CBS, and it caused him to walk with a cane.
Both Dutch and Copenhaver sued the federal government for damages in June, saying the Secret Service failed to protect them and was therefore responsible for their injuries.
Republicans in the US House of Representatives also honored Copenhaver on Friday, saying in a social media post: "Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance."