Breaking
Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump raises a defiant fist after the July 2024 assassination attempt on him in Butler, Pennsylvania. A spectator wounded in that shooting died Wednesday. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)
By Brooklynn Robinson September 24, 2026 at 2:08pm
He was struck by gunfire intended for the man who is now the president
Jim Copenhaver, one of the spectators gravely wounded in the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died, according to WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh.
Copenhaver was 74 when he was shot at the Butler Farm Show grounds and 76 at his death. An official cause has not been released.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jim Copenhaver, who was gravely wounded in the horrific shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania,” stated a post on the House Republicans account on the social media platform X.
“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.”
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.
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) September 24, 2026
The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire minutes after Trump took the stage. Trump was struck in the ear. Retired volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed shielding his family. Another man, David Dutch, 57 at the time, was also critically wounded.
Crooks was killed at the scene by a Secret Service countersniper.
Copenhaver, of Moon Township, was hit twice, once in the left triceps and once in the abdomen.
He spent days in the hospital and later described permanent nerve damage and fragments that remained in his body.
Journalist Ken Silva, author of a book on Trump assassination plots, first reported Copenhaver’s death on X. Copenhaver wrote a foreword for Silva’s book.
“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,” Silva wrote.
I’ve got very sad news: Jim Copenhaver, who was shot at the Butler Trump rally on July 13, 2024, has died.
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.
RIP Jim
— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) September 24, 2026
The Beaver County Times, citing the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, reported that Copenhaver died Wednesday afternoon at West Penn Hospital.
In June, Copenhaver and Dutch sued the federal government. Their lawyer said a cascade of Secret Service failures left the rooftop open and the crowd exposed. That case was pending when Copenhaver died.
In a New York Times report shortly after the assassination attempt, friends described Copenhaver as a quiet man who played in a band but had taken an interest in local politics.
Two years later, the target of the attack is president. Dutch is still living with his wound and Copenhaver is sadly gone.
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