Man wounded during 2024 Trump rally shooting in Butler County dies

One of the men who was wounded in the attempted assassination of President Trump in Butler in 2024 has died. 

According to the House Republicans’ social media feeds, Jim Copenhaver has died. 

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jim Copenhaver, who was gravely wounded in the horrific shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the tweet from the House GOP account read. “Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance. We join his family and loved ones in mourning his loss and praying for them during this difficult time.” 

Copenhaver was one of two people injured during the shooting on July 13, 2024, at the rally. One bullet hit him in the triceps, and another was lodged in his body after it took chunks of his colon, which left him with nerve damage. 

About a week after he was hospitalized, Copenhaver was discharged from the hospital. 

“Jim would like to especially thank the first responders, medics, and hospital staff who have provided him with initial and continuing care,” the family said in a statement released by Allegheny Health Network.

David Dutch of New Kensington was another one of the people injured in the shooting. 

Corey Comperatore was killed on that day. 

Both Copenhaver and Dutch spoke with KDKA-TV nearly a year after the assassination attempt and recalled the terror of being shot at during a campaign rally. 

“I was standing up looking at the Jumbotron behind me, and next thing I know my sleeve has been yanked,” Copenhaver said. “I could see a portion of it going by pretty fast, and I heard ‘pew.’ I heard it, and I didn’t realize at the time that I had gotten shot. But I turned around, and that’s when I got the second shot. So, the second shot didn’t hit bone. Mine went into all soft material. It was like a jolt. It didn’t knock me over, but I didn’t want to stand anymore.”