Trump Rally Shooting Survivor Dies Two Years After Butler Attack

Jim Copenhaver, 76, who was shot twice at Donald Trump's July 13, 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died. He had carried permanent injuries, including bullet fragments near his spine, since the attack.

• Copenhaver was shot once in his left triceps and once in his abdomen.
• One bullet lodged near his spine caused nerve damage and numbness from knee to hip.
• He had undergone multiple surgeries, including colon repair and abdominal wall hernia closure.
• He filed suit against the federal government on June 1 in U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania.

Why it matters: Copenhaver's death closes one chapter of the Butler shooting's human toll. Three people were shot at the rally: attendee Corey Comperatore was killed, Trump was grazed in the ear, and Copenhaver and Dutch were critically wounded. Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was killed by authorities.

• His lawsuit alleged the Secret Service failed to secure the rooftop from which Crooks fired.
• The Senate Homeland Security Committee and a House bipartisan task force both found significant security failures at the rally.

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What’s next: Marianne Copenhaver will carry on the federal lawsuit; the government has not yet filed a response.

• Dutch and his wife are also pursuing the same legal action over alleged security failures.
• The exact cause and circumstances of Copenhaver's death have not been publicly disclosed.
• Whether the federal government will respond to or settle the lawsuit before trial is unknown.