Butler rally shooting victim Jim Copenhaver, 76, dies from injuries

Jim Copenhaver, shot twice at Trump's 2024 Butler rally, has died in a Pittsburgh hospital. A second attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed in the original attack.

Butler rally shooting victim Jim Copenhaver dies more than a year after attack

Jim Copenhaver, 76, one of three attendees shot at Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died from complications related to his injuries, bbc.com reports, citing a statement from the Pennsylvania attorney general.

Copenhaver died on Wednesday at a hospital in Pittsburgh, according to the Allegheny County medical examiner. He had been struck twice when 20-year-old Thomas Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop during the July 2024 event. Crooks was killed by Secret Service agents shortly after the attack. A second attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed at the scene; Trump himself was grazed on the ear by a bullet.

Speaking on his Truth Social platform, 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," Trump wrote. "Our hearts and prayers are with the Copenhaver family, especially his incredible wife Marianne."

An attorney representing the Copenhaver family said his commitment to the United States had been 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 CBS News.

In an interview with CBS conducted a year after the rally, Copenhaver described the ongoing physical toll of his wounds. He had been shot in the arm and the abdomen; the bullet remained lodged near his spine, leaving him dependent on a cane to walk. He and fellow survivor David Dutch — the third person shot that day — had each undergone multiple surgeries and battled infections in the intervening months.

Both Copenhaver and Dutch filed a lawsuit against the federal government in June, alleging the Secret Service had failed to guarantee their safety and was therefore liable for their injuries.

Republicans in the US House of Representatives paid tribute to Copenhaver on Friday. "Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance," they said in a social media post.

Source: Google News MT