James Copenhaver, 76, who survived being shot twice during President Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, died recently from his injuries. Shot in the arm and abdomen, Copenhaver had permanent life-altering injuries including bullet fragments remaining inside him. Ken Silva of Headline USA reported the news, noting that details surrounding Copenhaver's death were scarce but acknowledging the ongoing impact of his wounds.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A Pennsylvania man who survived gunshot wounds during President Trump's Butler campaign rally two years ago has died, sources confirmed.
asserted
sources → survive → rally
James 'Jim' Copenhaver, 76, died on Wednesday after surviving the terrifying rally that saw Trump shot in the ear on July 13, 2024.
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Trump → die → July
Copenhaver endured permanent 'life-altering' injuries after he was shot twice at the infamous rally; once in his left arm and again in his abdomen.
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he → endure → abdomen
The native of Moon Township, around 20 minutes from Pittsburgh, was in critical condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh before he was left numb from his knee to his hip.
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he → leave → hip
Joseph Feldman, the family's attorney, told Fox News at the time that Copenhaver was 'a tough guy' after he was able to survive the horrific injuries.
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he → tell → injuries
Ken Silva of Headline USA first reported the death, citing sources close to the family of Copenhaver, who wrote the foreword for the journalist's book, The Trump Assassination Plots: What Investigations Missed and Why it Matters.
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it → report → What
Silva said he had few details surrounding Copenhaver's sudden passing, 'but it was no secret that Jim was dealing with permanent injuries from Butler - including having bullet fragments still inside of him.'
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Jim → say → him
In the foreword, shared by Silva on social media, Copenhaver wrote: 'I've lived a good life, but most of it has been what I'd described as "uneventful" in a grand historical sense.
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I → share → sense
James 'Jim' Copenhaver, 76, died on Wednesday under unknown circumstances after surviving the terrifying rally that saw Trump shot in the ear on July 13, 2024
Copenhaver endured permanent 'life altering' injuries after he was shot twice at the infamous rally; once in his left arm and again in his abdomen.
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he → die → abdomen
Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event in Butler
Ken Silva said he had little details surrounding Copenhaver's passing, 'but it was no secret that Jim was dealing with permanent injuries from Butler - including having bullet fragments still inside of him'
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Jim → see → him
The House of Republicans said they were 'deeply saddened' by Copenhaver's death after he was 'gravely wounded' in the Butler shooting.
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he → say → shooting
'Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance.
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Jim → endure → strength
We join his family and loved ones in mourning his loss and praying for them during this difficult time.
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We → join → time
May he rest in peace,' the agency said.
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agency → rest → peace
Copenhaver recalled raising his family, working for over 30 years and his time playing in a band and asked how he would be remembered in the foreword he penned.
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he → recall → foreword
'Well, I got my answer... though taking a bullet meant for the President wasn't exactly what I had in mind,' he said.
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he → get → mind
Copenhaver recalled his day at the rally leading up to 'when I almost met my maker,' and said a friend had got him the tickets.
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friend → recall → tickets
After working their way through parking and security, the time arrived to claim their seats before a staff member told them they didn't have the right wristbands to be situated directly in front of the podium.
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they → work → podium
'I asked if we could move to the bleachers; he said yes,' Copenhaver recalled.
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Copenhaver → ask → bleachers
'Our move turned out to be nearly fatal.'
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move → turn → ?
He continued to remember how David Dutch, the other man, a stranger to Copenhaver, who survived bullet wounds that day, was just two seats away from him.
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who → continue → him
'We felt pretty good about where we were seated,' he continued.
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he → feel → ?
'I started taking pictures and filming about 6.03pm, unknowingly capturing the shooter on the roof of the AGR building at around 6.08pm.
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I → start → 6.08pm
Copenhaver remembered how David Dutch, the other man who survived bullet wounds that day, was just two seats away from him
Copenhaver sued the US Government in June after he was forced to undergo a series of surgeries, including the closure of a traumatic abdominal wall hernia, laparotomy, laceration repair and transection of his colon
Copenhaver wrote that, as Trump's speech 'ramped up,' he put his phone away before 'seemingly out of nowhere' he was shot in his left triceps.
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he → remember → 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,' he wrote.
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he → turn → abdomen
Copenhaver said he remembered little else from that day, but his long road to recovery stood before him.
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road → say → him
'I only just started physical therapy in the summer of 2025, and while I've been making progress, it hasn't been easy,' he wrote.
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he → start → progress
'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.
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I → lodge → life
It just doesn't feel like my leg.
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It → feel → leg
I guess that's the price of making history.
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that → guess → history
Copenhaver sued the US Government in June after he was forced to undergo a series of surgeries, including the closure of a traumatic abdominal wall hernia, laparotomy, laceration repair and transection of his colon, Silva reported.
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Silva → sue → colon
Upon his death, he continued to have fragments of the bullets in his body, according to Silva.
uncertain
he → continue → Silva
Copenhaver wrote that, as Trump's speech 'ramped up,' he put his phone away before 'seemingly out of nowhere' he was shot in his left triceps
Thomas Matthew Crooks was named as Trump's attempted assassin on July 13, 2024
Copenhaver's wife, Marianne, will continue on with the suit, along with Dutch and his wife, seeking damages over the Secret Service's alleged security failures.
According to Politico, the Senate Homeland Security and the House's bipartisan task force found significant failures in the Secret Service's plan to secure the rally as well as their response to the shooting.
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Security → write → shooting
Thomas Matthew Crooks was named as the attempted assassin.
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Crooks → name → assassin
On the anniversary of the incident, Trump said that the Secret Service 'had a bad day' and 'made a mistake.'
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Service → say → mistake
He pointed to a lack of communication with local police as well as the failure to appoint an agent on the roof that Crooks fired from, Politico reported.
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Politico → point → that
The Daily Mail reached out to Copenhaver's family, who said they weren't taking calls at this time, the White House and the Alleghany County Medical Examiner's Office for comment.
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they → reach → comment
The Aporia
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