Jim Copenhaver has died from complications of the gunshot wounds he took at the Butler Trump rally, after two years of surgeries, lingering fragments, and pain that never left him.
James Copenhaver, a veteran from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, died September 23, 2026, surrounded by his family after living more than two years with the injuries he suffered when a gunman opened fire at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Butler. He was in his mid-70s.
Fox News reported that Copenhaver was one of several people shot by Thomas Matthew Crooks at the Butler Farm Show complex on July 13, 2024. Trump’s right ear was grazed. Retired firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed. David Dutch was also wounded and survived.
Copenhaver never fully recovered. He was shot twice. One round struck his triceps. Another damaged his colon. Bullet fragments remained inside him, along with nerve damage, ongoing surgeries, and constant pain.
His family released a statement confirming the death and describing the man they lost. The statement, provided to Fox News, said:
"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 who believed deeply in the freedoms and ideals upon which this nation was founded, and he embodied the very best traits of our great nation."
Slippery Rock Mayor Jondavid “JD” Longo marked the death the same day. Longo wrote that Copenhaver was shot twice at the Butler rally, survived that day, and then spent two years with surgeries, remaining fragments, and pain that never left him.
HeadlineUSA editor Ken Silva noted what those close to Copenhaver already knew. Silva posted that Jim had been dealing with permanent injuries from Butler, including bullet fragments still inside him.
The Daily Caller reported the family’s announcement and the tributes that followed, tying Copenhaver’s death directly to the wounds from the July 13, 2024 attack.
President Trump paid tribute on Truth Social. Breitbart carried the message in full:
"Jim Copenhaver, a true American Patriot, has passed away, A tremendous loss!... After being wounded while protecting his family, Jim showed tremendous bravery, courageously continuing to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT."
Trump framed the original attack as an attempt to stop the America First movement and praised Copenhaver’s refusal to quit after he was hit while shielding his family. The tone matched how those who knew him described his final years: stubborn endurance under medical hardship.
House Republicans also issued condolences. The House Republican Conference said Copenhaver endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance and asked for prayers for his family.
The New York Post revisited Copenhaver’s own account of the moment he was hit. He described the sudden chaos in plain terms:
"Next thing I know, my sleeve has been yanked... I heard ‘pew.’ I heard it, and I didn’t realize at the time that I had gotten shot."
He had been seated in the area behind Trump when Crooks fired from a rooftop. Eight shots rang out before a counter-sniper killed the gunman. Copenhaver walked away alive that day. The damage did not.
Copenhaver did not treat the security collapse as a closed chapter. On June 1 he sued the Secret Service, alleging negligence, recklessness, and carelessness in the run-up to the shooting.
The complaint stated that a twenty-year-old who had been seen acting erratically, and who was already the subject of an intensive search, managed to climb onto the roof of a building and fire eight shots before a counter-sniper stopped him. The lawsuit put the agency’s failures at the center of how the gunman got into position.
Then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned ten days after the attack following testimony before the House Oversight Committee. The agency faced hard questions over perimeter gaps and the slow release of answers. Copenhaver’s lawyers did not respond to requests for comment when his death was announced.
Corey Comperatore never left Butler alive. David Dutch survived his wounds. Trump carried a scar on his ear. Copenhaver carried fragments, nerve damage, and a calendar full of surgeries until September 23, 2026.
The public record on Copenhaver’s final stretch is spare and consistent. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He was a veteran who saw service as a defining duty. He spent the time after Butler in operating rooms and in pain that Longo said never left him.
No official medical cause beyond complications from the rally wounds has been detailed in the family statement. The exact hour and clinical setting of his death were not released. What is not in dispute is the through-line: the bullets that struck him on July 13, 2024, set the terms of the rest of his life.
Thomas Matthew Crooks is dead. Cheatle left office. The lawsuit Copenhaver filed remains part of the paper trail of that day. The man who refused to treat his wounds as someone else’s problem is gone.
Americans who show up to hear a president speak should not go home with bullet fragments for the rest of their lives. Copenhaver did, and he still stood for the country he served until the end.
