Nearly two years after a mass shooting at a 2024 Donald Trump presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a second attendee wounded in the attack has died from long-term complications of his injuries, state law enforcement officials have confirmed.
Jim Copenhaver, a 76-year-old U.S. military veteran and ardent Trump supporter, was struck twice when 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks opened fire on the rally crowd from a nearby elevated rooftop on July 13, 2024. The attack immediately killed another attendee, 56-year-old Corey Comperatore, and grazed former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s right ear. Copenhaver passed away on Wednesday at a Pittsburgh-area hospital, according to a spokesperson for the Allegheny County Medical Examiner, whose office shared the confirmation with local Pennsylvania news outlets.
The assailant, Crooks, was shot and killed on-site by U.S. Secret Service agents moments after he began firing into the crowd. The shooting sparked widespread national scrutiny of gaps in presidential campaign security protocols, a debate that has persisted as victims continue to grapple with the aftermath of the attack.
On his Truth Social platform, former President Trump issued a public tribute to Copenhaver following news of his death, calling the late rally attendee a “true American patriot.” “More than two years ago in Butler, Pennsylvania, a crazed gunman attempted to stifle our America First Movement. Instead, Jim and so many other wonderful Patriots who love our Country, stood united in defense of our shared values of Freedom, Liberty, and Justice,” Trump wrote. He extended condolences to Copenhaver’s family, singling out his wife Marianne in his statement.
A legal representative for the Copenhaver family echoed that tribute, telling CBS News—BBC’s U.S. partner outlet—that Copenhaver’s lifelong devotion to the United States was the defining trait of his life. “As a veteran, he proudly served our nation in the armed forces, and his love of country never wavered,” the attorney said.
In an interview with CBS one year after the rally, Copenhaver and the third wounded attendee, David Dutch, opened up about the ongoing health struggles they faced in the wake of the shooting. Copenhaver told reporters he had been hit in the arm and abdomen, and one bullet remained lodged near his spine months after the attack, forcing him to rely on a cane to walk. Both men said they had endured multiple invasive surgeries and serious post-wound infections that altered their daily lives permanently.
In June 2025, Copenhaver and Dutch filed a joint damages lawsuit against the U.S. federal government, arguing that the Secret Service’s negligent failure to secure the rally venue and perimeter directly led to their injuries, making the government legally liable for harm and long-term health costs. The lawsuit remains pending as of Copenhaver’s death.
House Republicans also released a statement honoring Copenhaver on social media Friday, writing that “Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance.” The death marks the second fatality linked to the 2024 Trump rally shooting, reigniting national conversations around political violence and gun control in the United States ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.