Man wounded at 2024 Trump rally shooting dies at 76

Jim Copenhaver, who was seriously wounded when a gunman opened fire at a 2024 campaign rally for Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died at 76, his family said Thursday.

Copenhaver died Wednesday “surrounded by his loved ones,” according to a statement issued by Joseph A. Feldman, an attorney for the family. The statement did not give a cause of death.

Copenhaver was one of two rallygoers injured in the July 13, 2024, shooting. Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief, was killed. The other injured rallygoer was David Dutch of New Kensington, according to CBS News. Trump’s ear was struck by either a bullet or a fragment, but he was not seriously injured, the FBI said, according to NBC News.

Copenhaver was hit in the triceps and abdomen. The abdominal wound damaged his colon, and he was left with nerve damage. He was discharged from the hospital about a week after the shooting, CBS News reported. Months later, he told NBC News he had lost 30 pounds and needed a cane to walk.

He later described the sudden confusion at the rally. “I was standing up looking at the Jumbotron behind me, and next thing I know my sleeve has been yanked,” he told KDKA-TV in an interview reported by CBS News. He said he did not initially realize he had been shot. “But I turned around, and that’s when I got the second shot.”

In a separate account to NBC News, Copenhaver said he saw part of his sleeve “go away” before telling a friend, “I think I was shot.”

His family described the injuries as “life-altering.” After he left the hospital, they thanked the public for its support as they dealt with what they called a “horrible, senseless, and unnecessary act of violence.” In Thursday’s statement, the family said Copenhaver had been deeply grateful for the love he received after the shooting.

“As a veteran, he proudly served our nation in the armed forces, and his love of country never wavered,” the family said. They called service to his country a defining part of his life.

The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sharpshooter. Investigators did not uncover a motive, NBC News reported, even after interviewing his relatives, neighbors, teachers and classmates.

The House Republicans’ official social media account also expressed condolences. “Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance,” the post said. “We join his family and loved ones in mourning his loss and praying for them during this difficult time.”