James Copenhaver was shot twice during now-President Donald Trump‘s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. Despite surviving the shooting, the 76-year-old has died more than two years after suffering life-altering injuries.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jim Copenhaver, who was gravely wounded in the horrific shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the House GOP X account shared on Thursday, September 24. “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.”
Copenhaver, a spectator at Trump’s rally, suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm and another to his abdomen. He was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh in critical condition.
He was left with permanent nerve damage with numbness in his left leg. Copenhaver was discharged from the hospital two weeks later.
“Jim would like to especially thank the first responders, medics, and hospital staff who have provided him with initial and continuing care,” the family said in a statement following his release, per CBS News.
He recalled the fateful day in an interview with CBS Pittsburgh one year later, saying, “I didn’t realize at the time that I had gotten shot.”
“I turned around, and that’s when I got the second shot. So, the second shot didn’t hit bone,” he said. “Mine went into all soft material. It was like a jolt. It didn’t knock me over, but I didn’t want to stand anymore.”
Despite multiple surgeries, fragments from the bullet remained lodged near his spine.
In June, Copenhaver, along with David Dutch, another gunshot victim from the rally, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Government seeking damages over the Secret Service’s alleged security failures, per Politico.
This story Victim From President Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, Rally Dies 2 Years After Gunshot Injuries first appeared on Globe. Follow Globe on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.