One of many spectators shot in the course of the assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump throughout a 2024 marketing campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died, officers and his household lawyer stated Thursday.
James Copenhaver, 76, of Moon Township, died on Wednesday “surrounded by his family members,” an lawyer for his household stated in a press release.
Copenhaver was one in all three attendees struck when a gunman opened hearth on the rally in Butler on July 13, 2024, in response to Pennsylvania State Police.
He was “gravely wounded” within the taking pictures, lawyer Joseph Feldman stated in a press release on behalf of Copenhaver’s household.
“All through that troublesome time, James confronted each problem with the identical energy and resolve that outlined his life, and the kindness proven by so many introduced nice consolation to him and to those that love him,” Feldman stated.
Copenhaver and his household “have been deeply grateful for the outpouring of affection, prayers, and help they’ve obtained over the previous two years,” Feldman stated.
Copenhaver is remembered by his household as a “devoted husband, father, and grandfather” and a veteran of the armed forces whose “dedication to this nice nation was a defining a part of his life,” Feldman stated.
James Copenhaver is likely one of the males injured on the Trump rally in Butler, Pa, July 13, 2024.
Courtesy Copenhaver Household
Copenhaver died at a hospital in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, in response to the Allegheny County Workplace of the Medical Examiner. The trigger and method of loss of life are pending, it informed ABC Information on Thursday.
Trump referred to as Copenhaver a “true American Patriot” in a press release on social media Thursday, saying his loss of life is a “large loss.”
“His indelible legacy of affection and devotion will without end endure,” Trump stated.
Home Republicans addressed Copenhaver’s loss of life in a statement Thursday, saying he “endured unimaginable hardship with energy and perseverance.”
“We be part of his household and family members in mourning his loss and praying for them throughout this troublesome time. Might he relaxation in peace,” the assertion stated.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro additionally prolonged his condolences to Copenhaver’s household.
“The political violence that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024 isn’t okay,” Shapiro stated in a statement Thursday. “I stated it on the time in Butler and I say it once more at the moment: all of us have a accountability to take down the temperature, rise above hateful rhetoric, and seek for a brighter future for this nation.”
Former Marine David Dutch was additionally injured within the assassination try, police stated. He was shot within the chest and liver and was initially in a medically induced coma after the taking pictures, in response to the Marine Corps League of Pennsylvania.
The third attendee struck by gunfire — 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore — died shielding his household, officers stated.
Trump was grazed within the ear by a bullet.
Officers stated the gunman — 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania — fired as much as eight pictures from the roof of a close-by constructing earlier than a Secret Service sharpshooter shot and killed him.
