Butler Assassination Attempt Survivor Jim Copenhaver Dies After Long Battle with Injuries

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.… pic.twitter.com/37nRhQfcla

— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) September 24, 2026

Click to expand...

James Copenhaver, of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, who was wounded in a failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in 2024, has died, according to several reports.

Copenhaver, in his mid-70s, was one of several people who attempted assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at the Butler Farm Show complex outside Butler, Pennsylvania, after Crooks scaled the roof of a nearby glass manufacturing building and took aim at the then-presidential candidate.

A person who answered a phone number connected to Copenhaver’s family directed Fox News Digital to a Pittsburgh-area law firm for confirmation and further comment…

David Dutch was also wounded in the shooting but survived. Butler County firefighter Corey Comperatore was shot and killed in the bleachers behind Trump’s dais that day.

Speaking to Pittsburgh’s KDKA in 2025, Copenhaver said he stood to look at the jumbotron behind him as Trump spoke.

“Next thing I know, my sleeve has been yanked,” he said. “I could see a portion of it going by pretty fast, and I heard ‘pew.’ I heard it, and I didn’t realize at the time that I had gotten shot.”

He said he was then shot a second time but that the bullets both “went into soft material.”

“It was like a jolt. It didn’t knock me over, but I didn’t want to stand anymore,” he told the station.

A lawsuit Copenhaver filed against the United States earlier this year alleged he was also required to undergo multiple surgeries.

Click to expand...

Jim wrote the foreword to my book about the Trump shooting. In it, Jim contemplates how he'll be remembered.
Posting it here for anyone who wants to read: pic.twitter.com/SciSd8SsXL

— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) September 24, 2026

Click to expand...

I’ve lived a good life, but most of it has been what I’d describe as “uneventful” in a grand historical sense. 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? I’ve planted trees in honor of my dad and great uncle that are now too big to wrap my arms around, but someone could come along and cut them down at any moment.

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.

People always ask me: What happened on the day you and Donald Trump were nearly murdered? To tell you the truth, I still don’t know — other than that I was shot twice. I’ll leave the full story to Ken Silva, who’s written the most thorough account of the Butler shooting that I’ve seen to date. But I’d like to share my experience leading up to when I almost met my maker.

Before July 13, I had been watching all the Trump rallies whenever possible. When I heard that Butler, Pennsylvania, would be added to the tour, I wanted to be there.

My friend Randy scored our tickets for the event, and I said that I would drive. We arrived at the fairgrounds at about 10:30 A.M., and were directed to park in a far-off field. We settled in for a long hike, taking rests along the way. When we were close to the event lines, I had to stop to catch my breath.

Another rallygoer asked, “Where did you park?” Randy replied, “Way down over there in the corner, where Jesus lost his sandal!” We had a good laugh because we were all in good, lively spirits.

We proceeded to the already long entrance lines. Movement was painfully slow. Sometime around 1 P.M., the lines finally started flowing. I was worried because I heard that no backpacks were being allowed, and I had brought mine, but we got through security with no troubles.

I had dressed for a long, hot day in the sun with my jungle hat, an extra-long bandana that covered my neck and ears, and a long-sleeve wicking shirt. The real secret to beating the heat was that I froze a 10-ounce bottle of water and placed it in my right pants pocket. Cool!

When we passed through security, we saw our first food truck, and it was time to stop. We fed ourselves and continued to the venue seating. We walked down to be right in front of the podium. A staff member came over to tell us that we did not have the proper wristband to sit there. I asked if we could move to the bleachers; he said yes.

Our move turned out to be nearly fatal.

After maneuvering around the containment fence, we reached bleacher “C,” where fellow shooting survivor David Dutch was also seated. Bleacher “A” was to the left of the podium, where Corey Comperatore — who sadly died that day — was seated with his family, and bleacher “B” was behind the podium.

I was happy to be in an elevated seat with nothing behind me, except for the jumbotron. I did not know David Dutch at this time, but he was seated at the top right corner that I have called “seat one.” I was two seats away in what I called “seat three.” We felt pretty good about where we were seated. I started taking pictures and filming about 6:03 P.M., unknowingly capturing the shooter on the roof of the AGR building at around 6:08 P.M.

As Trump’s speech ramped up, I put my phone in my pocket and commenced to be a rallygoer for a few minutes. Seemingly out of nowhere, I was shot in my left triceps. I turned to Randy and said, “I think I have been shot,” when I was then hit a second time in my left abdomen.

I’ll leave it to Ken to take it from there. Meanwhile, I continue to recover. I only just started physical therapy in the summer of 2025, and while I’ve been making progress, it hasn’t been easy.

With a bullet lodged next to my spine, I’m going to have a diminished usage of my left leg for the rest of my life. It’s numb from just beneath the kneecap to the hip area. It just doesn’t feel like my leg.

I guess that’s the price of making history.

Thank you!

Jim

Click to expand...

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… pic.twitter.com/wmAMjp2lAz

— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) September 24, 2026

Click to expand...

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.

Click to expand...

Saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Copenhaver.

Jim was shot twice at the Butler rally on July 13, 2024.
He survived that day, but he never fully recovered from the wounds. For two years he lived with surgeries, remaining fragments, and pain that never left him.

Those of… pic.twitter.com/jQJKJM39UE

— Jondavid “JD” Longo (@JondavidRLongo) September 24, 2026

Click to expand...

Saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Copenhaver.

Jim was shot twice at the Butler rally on July 13, 2024.
He survived that day, but he never fully recovered from the wounds. For two years he lived with surgeries, remaining fragments, and pain that never left him.

Those of us who were there that day have never forgotten Corey Comperatore, David Dutch, or Jim. Butler County still carries that afternoon.
May he rest in peace.

Prayers for Marianne and the Copenhaver family.

Click to expand...

Jim Copenhaver has died at 76. He was shot twice at the Butler rally on July 13, 2024, and lived his last two years with a bullet fragment next to his spine and a leg that never worked right again. He never made himself the story. Rest in peace, sir.

— Jewels Jones ® (@JewelsJonesLive) September 24, 2026

Click to expand...

This gentleman lost his life today, wounded 2 years ago in Butler, PA. https://t.co/aY0V6fVVMg

— Seth Keshel (@RealSKeshel) September 24, 2026

Click to expand...

Rest In Peace to Butler survivor Jim Copenhaver.

Jim was one of the two men in the bleachers on the right side (as seen from the front) that were hit by the Crook’s bullets. https://t.co/f8d0SZG46F

— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) September 24, 2026

Click to expand...

Patriot down. https://t.co/udM9jAD915

— captive dreamer (@captive_dreamer) September 24, 2026

Click to expand...

Rest in Peace, Patriot. https://t.co/9Spn0rKmf9 pic.twitter.com/aErqJqHCyJ

— LT Jonathan Kendrick (@PlisskenPatriot) September 24, 2026

Click to expand...

Jim Copenhaver went to Butler to hear a president.
A bullet found him instead.

He survived two years with fragments still in him. Today his family is grieving.

Corey Comperatore never came home from that field. Jim fought to.

Rest easy, Jim. Butler does not forget. pic.twitter.com/EDNfq5yi6Z

— Keith Ainsworth (@AinsworthKeith) September 24, 2026

Click to expand...