Butler rally shooting survivor James Copenhaver dies aged 76

James Copenhaver, one of the men wounded during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, has died aged 76, his family said through their lawyer on Thursday.

Copenhaver died on Wednesday at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, according to a statement from the Allegheny County medical examiner cited in local media accounts. The cause of death was not disclosed, and the family’s statement did not specify whether his death was directly related to the injuries he suffered at the rally. Family lawyer Joseph Feldman said Copenhaver was surrounded by loved ones when he passed.

On 13 July 2024, Copenhaver was sitting in the bleachers at the Butler rally when 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop, grazing Trump’s right ear. Copenhaver was struck by two bullets — one tore into his arm, the other through his abdomen — and he endured multiple surgeries, including a transection of his colon, and lived with lingering kidney damage and nerve damage. Two other attendees were shot: David Dutch, who survived, and Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief who was killed.

In June, Copenhaver and his wife, Marianne Copenhaver, sued the federal government, alleging the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security had “utterly failed” to provide appropriate security at the rally, and describing his wounds as “debilitating, grievous, permanent and life altering”. The lawsuit was still pending at the time of his death.

The House Republican Conference posted an obituary, saying Copenhaver “endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance”. The White House did not immediately comment.

Sources

• CNN — Man wounded in the 2024 Trump assassination attempt dies
• LA NACIÓN (AP) — Man who was shot during 2024 Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died
• Beaver County Times — Moon Twp. man wounded during Trump assassination attempt has died
• The Guardian — Man shot and wounded during Trump assassination attempt dies in Pennsylvania