A man who was injured two years ago in an assassination attempt on Donald Trump has died, his family said in a statement Thursday. He was 76.
Jim Copenhaver sustained what his family described as “life-altering” injuries after being shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. He was attending a campaign rally held by Trump when a gunman named Thomas Crooks opened fire.
He died Wednesday “surrounded by his loved ones,” according to a statement from Joseph A. Feldman, an attorney representing Copenhaver’s family. The statement did not provide a cause of death.
Serving his country was a “defining” aspect of Copenhaver’s life, his family said, and he was deeply grateful for the outpouring of love he received following the Butler shooting.
“As a veteran, he proudly served our nation in the armed forces, and his love of country never wavered,” the statement said. “James was a true American patriot who believed deeply in the freedoms and ideals upon which this nation was founded, and he embodied the very best traits of our great nation.”
The family released a statement through a spokesperson for Allegheny Health Network at the time Copenhaver was discharged. They thanked the public for their support as the family dealt with the aftermath of the “horrible, senseless, and unnecessary act of violence.”
Copenhaver was hit once in the triceps and again in his abdomen, leaving him with nerve damage and requiring doctors to transect some of his colon.
Months later, he told NBC News he lost 30 pounds and had to walk with a cane. He hadn’t even realized he was shot until he saw part of his sleeve “go away.”
“I mean, I heard it distinctly,” Copenhaver said of the shooting. “I turn around to my friend and I said, ‘I think I was shot.’ And that’s when I got the second one.”
Former fire chief Corey Comperatore died in the shooting, and Copenhaver was one of two people injured in the attack. Trump’s ear was hit by either a bullet or a fragment but was not seriously injured, the FBI said.
Crooks, 20, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sharpshooter. A motive was never uncovered in the shooting even after law enforcement officials interviewed Crooks’ relatives, neighbors, teachers and classmates.
The official X account for the House Republicans posted about Copenhaver’s death, expressing the GOP’s condolences to his family.
“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. May he rest in peace.”
