James Copenhaver, a 76-year-old veteran and survivor of the 2024 assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died in Pittsburgh. Copenhaver, of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, passed away on September 23, 2026, at Allegheny Health Network’s West Penn Hospital, according to a statement from the Allegheny County medical examiner cited in local media accounts. Speaking through an attorney’s release, Joseph Feldman noted that his passing occurred with his family close by.
Copenhaver was in the bleachers during the event at the Butler Farm Show complex outside Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, when a 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire from the roof of a nearby glass manufacturing building. Crooks took aim at the then-presidential candidate, grazing Trump’s right ear with one bullet. Bullets hit Copenhaver in the arm and stomach, resulting in lasting medical complications that required him to use a walking cane. Two other attendees were also shot — David Dutch, who survived after being struck in the chest and liver, and Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old Pennsylvania firefighter who shielded his family from gunfire and was killed. Crooks was killed by law enforcement after shooting toward the rally crowd.
Lasting Injuries and Legal Battle Over Security Failures
Copenhaver dealt with continuous physical consequences from the shooting, undergoing multiple operations that involved a colonic transection, alongside lasting kidney issues, leg numbness, and nerve harm. Copenhaver suffered two bullet wounds during the attack, with one bullet striking him in the triceps and another entering his body after damaging his colon and kidney. He was released from the hospital about a week after the shooting. Roughly twelve months after the incident, KDKA-TV interviewed Copenhaver and Dutch about their recollections of the event, during which Copenhaver mentioned he had been on his feet observing the Jumbotron situated behind him right before the shooting started.
Alongside his wife Marianne, Copenhaver filed a lawsuit against the federal government in June, claiming that the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service failed completely in delivering adequate protection during the event. The lawsuit described the wounds as debilitating, grievous, permanent and life altering.
Family Remembrance and Tributes From Officials
The family’s statement issued by Joseph Feldman did not specify if his death was directly related to the injuries he suffered at the rally. Fox News Digital received a statement from the Copenhaver family verifying that he passed away on Thursday afternoon while highlighting the veteran’s dedication to this great country.
It is with profound sadness that the Copenhaver family confirms that James Copenhaver passed away on September 23, 2026, surrounded by his loved ones,
the statement said. “Above all else, James was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. James shared a lifetime of commitment to his wife, instilled the values of hard work, integrity, and the service of others in his children, and found some of his greatest joy in life in his grandchildren. His family was the center of his world, and he was the center of theirs.”
James’s dedication to this great country was a defining part of his life. As a veteran, he proudly served our nation in the armed forces, and his love of country never wavered. James was a true American patriot. The
Tributes also poured in from political organizations, including the House Republican Conference, which announced Copenhaver’s death on Sept. 24 on X, saying he had been gravely wounded
in the shooting and had endured significant hardship following the attack.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jim Copenhaver, who was gravely wounded in the horrific shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania,
the House GOP account said. Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance.
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