Butler Shooting Survivor Jim Copenhaver Dies at 76, Two Years After Attempt on Trump’s Life

Jim Copenhaver, who suffered devastating injuries when a gunman tried to assassinate Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally in 2024, has died at 76, according to Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TV.

His death comes more than two years after the attack at the Butler Farm Show grounds, where a gathering of Americans exercising their right to participate in the political process erupted into bloodshed.

Copenhaver was 74 when he was struck by two bullets on July 13, 2024. He survived the shooting but faced lasting physical damage. No official cause of death has been released.

House Republicans paid tribute to Copenhaver, remembering the hardship he endured in the aftermath of the attack.

“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.”

The assassination attempt unfolded just minutes after Trump, then the Republican presidential candidate and now serving his second term as president, began addressing the crowd.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire, striking Trump in the ear and hitting spectators gathered near the stage. Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old retired volunteer fire chief, was killed while protecting his family. David Dutch, who was 57 at the time, sustained critical injuries.

A Secret Service countersniper shot and killed Crooks at the scene.

Copenhaver, a resident of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, suffered gunshot wounds to his left triceps and abdomen. His recovery required hospitalization, and he later spoke about permanent nerve damage and bullet fragments that remained lodged in his body.

News of his death was first reported on X by journalist Ken Silva, whose book about assassination plots targeting Trump included a foreword written by Copenhaver.

“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.

Citing the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Beaver County Times reported that Copenhaver died Wednesday afternoon at West Penn Hospital.

His death also comes with a lawsuit over the federal government’s handling of rally security still unresolved.

Copenhaver and Dutch filed suit in June. Their attorney alleged that a succession of Secret Service failures allowed the gunman access to the rooftop from which he fired, leaving rallygoers vulnerable to the attack. The case remained pending at the time of Copenhaver’s death.

Those allegations concern a central question surrounding Butler: how an armed attacker was able to reach a position from which he could shoot a presidential candidate and members of the public gathered to hear him speak.

Beyond the injuries and the legal proceedings, friends remembered a man whose life had included music and a growing interest in his community’s political affairs. In a New York Times report following the shooting, they described Copenhaver as quiet and recalled that he played in a band.

The attack linked his name permanently to one of the darkest moments of the 2024 campaign. Trump survived and returned to the White House. Comperatore’s family lost a husband and father, while Dutch and Copenhaver faced the consequences of severe wounds.

Now Copenhaver’s family is mourning his passing, with the official cause of death undisclosed and his effort to seek accountability through the courts still unfinished.