by Debra Heine
Jim Copenhaver, 76, a spectator shot at the July 13, 2024 Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, reportedly died on Wednesday. Copenhaver was critically wounded on July 13, 2024, during the assassination attempt of President Donald Trump at the rally.
Armed with a DPMS Panther Arms DR-15, an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds from the roof of a nearby building while Trump was speaking. He was killed by U.S. Secret Service agents.
Copenhaver (pictured above) was sitting in bleacher C, two seats away from fellow shooting survivor David Dutch when the shooting started. Corey Comperatore, the 50-year-old volunteer firefighter who was killed shielding his family, was seated in a separate section to the left of the podium. One of the bullets grazed President Trump’s upper right ear, “less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head,” according to former White House physician Ronny Jackson.
Remarkably, Copenhaver captured Crooks on video as the would-be assassin crept across the rooftop of the building across the filed from where President Trump was delivering his remarks.
Copenhaver wrote about that fateful day in Butler in the forward of Ken Silva’s book about the assassination attempt, The Trump Assassination Plot.
I started taking pictures and filming about 6:03 P.M., unknowingly capturing the shooter on the roof of the AGR building at around 6:08 P.M.As Trump’s speech ramped up, I put my phone in my pocket and commenced to be a rallygoer for a few minutes. Seemingly out of nowhere, I was shot in my left triceps. I turned to Randy and said, ‘I think I have been shot,’ when I was then hit a second time in my left abdomen.
Copenhaver was shot twice by Crooks — once in his left triceps and once in his abdomen — leaving him with permanent injuries.
“With a bullet next to my spine, I’m going to have a diminished usage of my left leg for the rest of my life,” he wrote.
He had undergone multiple surgeries, including colon transection and abdominal wall hernia repair, but still reportedly had bullet fragments in his body at the time of his passing.
Silva announced Copenhaver’s death on social media, Thursday.
“I don’t have many details at this point, but it’s no secret that Jim was dealing with permanent injuries from Butler—including having bullet fragments still inside of him,” he posted on X.
Silva included a picture of himself with Copenhaver in the post.
Prior to his death, Copenhaver and Dutch filed lawsuits against the U.S. government, alleging negligence by the Secret Service for failing to secure nearby rooftops.
Investigations by the Senate and Secret Service revealed “multiple, unacceptable failures” in planning, including denied resource requests and technical issues with surveillance drones. Six Secret Service personnel were suspended in connection with the incident.
“After raising a family and working for over 30 years—playing in a band on the side — I started to wonder: How will I be remembered?” Copenhaver wrote in the forward to Silva’s book. “Well, I got my answer to that question on July 13, 2024, though taking a bullet meant for the President wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
The House Republicans released the following statement in reaction to the sad news:
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jim Copenhaver, who was gravely wounded in the horrific shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.
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. May he rest in peace.
The Democrats do not appear to have issued a statement.
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Debra Heine is a reporter at American Greatness. Executive Editor of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network Christina Botteri contributed to this report.
Photo “Jim Copenhaver” by Ken Silva, author of The Trump Assassination Plot.
