EPAOne of the three attendees who was shot at Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has passed away from complications stemming from his injuries, according to the Pennsylvania attorney general.
Jim Copenhaver, 76, was struck twice when a gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop. Another attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting and Trump’s ear was grazed by a bullet.
Copenhaver died on Wednesday at a hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, according to a statement from the Allegheny County medical examiner shared with local media.
The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was killed by Secret Service after he opened fire.
In a post on his social media site Truth Social, Trump called Copenhaver a “true American patriot”.
“More than two years ago in Butler, Pennsylvania, a crazed gunman attempted to stifle our America First Movement. Instead, Jim and so many other wonderful Patriots who love our Country, stood united in defense of our shared values of Freedom, Liberty, and Justice,” Trump said. “Our hearts and prayers are with the Copenhaver family, especially his incredible wife Marianne.”
An attorney for Copenhaver’s family said his dedication to the US was 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 the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
In an interview with CBS a year after the Butler rally, Copenhaver and David Dutch, the third attendee who was shot, said they had been through infections and surgeries after being wounded.
Copenhaver was shot in the arm and the abdomen. A year later, the bullet was still lodged in his body next to his spine, he told CBS, causing him to walk with a cane.
Both Dutch and Copenhaver sued the federal government for damages in June, arguing the Secret Service failed to ensure their safety and was therefore liable for their injuries.
Republicans in the US House of Representatives also paid tribute to Copenhaver on Friday, saying in a social media post: “Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance.”
