Jim Copenhaver, who was seriously wounded during the 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died, House Republicans announced Thursday. He was 76.
“Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance,” House Republicans said in a statement. “We join his family and loved ones in mourning his loss and praying for them during this difficult time.”
The announcement did not specify a cause of death or say when Copenhaver died. Whether his injuries from the shooting contributed to his death was not immediately clear.
Copenhaver was shot twice by Thomas Crooks during the July 13, 2024, attack, suffering injuries to his arm and abdomen that left him with nerve damage, according to CBS Pittsburgh.
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Trump, then the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was struck in the ear. A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks, who had opened fire from a nearby rooftop. Another rallygoer, Corey Comperatore, was killed during the shootout.
Despite surviving the shooting, Copenhaver suffered long-term health effects from his injuries.
Along with fellow rally attendee David Dutch, Copenhaver sued the Justice Department for compensatory damages in June, arguing his life-altering injuries were a direct result of “100% negligence” by the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security.
The lawsuits claimed that the government was liable due to a cascade of alleged security failures, including a lack of communication, missed warning signs and a failure to secure the rooftop where Crooks opened fire.
The lawsuit remains pending in Pennsylvania federal court.
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