James “Jim” Copenhaver, one of two people critically wounded when a gunman opened fire at Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died, roughly two years after he was shot. A statement released through an attorney for his family on Thursday, said Copenhaver died on Wednesday "surrounded by loved ones." The statement did not give a cause of death. "James was a true American patriot who believed deeply in the freedoms and ideals upon which this nation was founded, and he embodied the very best traits of our great nation.” His family added that the “devoted husband, father and grandfather,” had been deeply grateful for all the support he had received after the Butler shooting.
Copenhaver was attending Trump’s July 13, 2024, rally at the Butler Farm Show when Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop. Trump was wounded in the ear, rallygoer Corey Comperatore was killed and Copenhaver and David Dutch were seriously injured. Crooks was subsequently killed by a Secret Service countersniper.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email for comment. The Butler shooting killed one rally attendee and injured two others. Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, was killed.
Josh Shapiro said Comperatore died while shielding his family from the gunfire. He was a volunteer firefighter and former fire chief. David Dutch, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, was also critically wounded.
He was shot in the abdomen and suffered injuries to his liver. He was hospitalized for 11 days before being released. James Copenhaver suffered gunshot wounds to his arm and abdomen.
He was hospitalized for 15 days and spent the following months recovering from extensive injuries. Trump was also struck during the shooting. The FBI said his ear was hit by either a bullet or a fragment, but he was not seriously injured.
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