RALLY TRAGEDY

Man Shot in Trump Assassination Attempt Dies

In June, Copenhaver sued the U.S. government for failing to protect the rally.

A man who was shot at the Butler Trump rally in July 2024 has died, according to a reporter. Jim Copenhaver, 76, lived with lasting injuries from the shooting, including bullet fragments still lodged in his body, according to Ken Silva, author of the book The Trump Assassination Plots: What the Investigations Missed, and Why It Matters. “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,” he wrote on X. House Republicans also confirmed his death on X. No cause of death has been released. Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old attempted assassin, shot at Trump with an assault rifle from a nearby rooftop, grazing his ear with a bullet. He fatally shot one audience member and seriously injured two, including Copenhaver. A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks at the scene. In June, Copenhaver filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, claiming that the Secret Service’s negligence led to him being shot at the Butler rally. According to the lawsuit, Copenhaver was required to undergo multiple surgeries, including closure of a traumatic abdominal wall hernia, laparotomy, laceration repair and transection of his colon. “After raising a family and working for over 30 years—playing in a band on the side—I started to wonder: How will I be remembered? Well, I got my answer to that question on July 13, 2024, though taking a bullet meant for the President wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Copenhaver wrote in the foreword of Silva’s book.