0
0
James “Jim” Copenhaver, one of two people critically wounded when a gunman opened fire at Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died, roughly two years after he was shot, Newsweek reported. He was 76.
Discover Top American-Made Products!
Support local craftsmanship with these high-quality, American-made items—shop now on Amazon!
Shop NowA statement released Thursday through an attorney for his family said Copenhaver died Wednesday “surrounded by loved ones.”
The statement did not give a cause of death. The House Republican Conference, in an obituary posted on social media, said he had died Thursday, according to Fox News.
Copenhaver, of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, was among several people struck when gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks scaled the roof of a nearby glass manufacturing building and fired on the Butler Farm Show complex, Fox reported.
Journalist Ken Silva, author of a book on the attack, wrote that a person close to the family said Copenhaver had been living with permanent injuries, including bullet fragments still lodged in his body.
One bullet tore into his triceps, while another damaged his colon and left him with nerve damage. He underwent multiple surgeries and continued to experience numbness and difficulty walking.
“I was standing up looking at the Jumbotron behind me, and next thing I know my sleeve has been yanked,” Copenhaver told KDKA in 2025.
He later sued the U.S. government, seeking $150,000 and alleging negligence, recklessness, and carelessness by the Secret Service in the security failures surrounding the rally. The complaint says those failures caused “significant, grievous and permanent” injuries. The suit remains pending.
A person who answered a phone number connected to the family directed Fox News Digital to a Pittsburgh law firm for comment.
Trump paid tribute on Truth Social, calling Copenhaver “a true American Patriot” and his death “A tremendous loss!”
He wrote: “After being wounded while protecting his family, Jim showed tremendous bravery, courageously continuing to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, and maintaining a positive spirit despite unimaginable hardships.” He offered prayers to the family, “especially his incredible wife Marianne.”
Corey Comperatore, 50, a volunteer firefighter and former fire chief from Sarver, Pennsylvania, was killed at the rally; Gov. Josh Shapiro said he died while shielding his family from the gunfire.
David Dutch, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, was also critically wounded. He was shot in the abdomen, suffered injuries to his liver, and was hospitalized for 11 days before being released.
With Copenhaver’s death, two of the three people shot that day have now died. Dutch survived the attack.
