James Copenhaver, wounded in 2024 Trump assassination attempt, dies at 76

James Copenhaver, a 76-year-old military veteran who survived being shot twice during the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, died on September 23, 2026, at a Pittsburgh hospital. While Copenhaver suffered permanent, life-altering injuries and underwent multiple surgeries, his cause of death remains pending. Donald Trump, House Republicans, and Governor Josh Shapiro released tributes honoring Copenhaver, whose ongoing federal lawsuit against the Secret Service for security negligence will be continued by his family.

Death of James Copenhaver

• ▪James Copenhaver died at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, surrounded by his family, according to the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner and family attorney Joseph Feldman
• ▪James Copenhaver, a 76-year-old veteran who survived gunshot wounds at the July 13, 2024 Donald Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, died on Wednesday, September 23, 2026
• ▪The Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner stated that the cause and manner of James Copenhaver's death are pending investigation, and his attorneys declined to comment on whether his injuries from the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally contributed to his death

Tributes to James Copenhaver

• ▪Donald Trump posted a tribute on Truth Social on September 24, 2026, calling James Copenhaver a "true American Patriot" and describing his passing as a tremendous loss
• ▪Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro extended his condolences to James Copenhaver's family on September 24, 2026, and reiterated that political violence is never acceptable
• ▪The House Republican Conference posted a tribute on September 24, 2026, expressing deep sadness over James Copenhaver's death and praising his strength and perseverance through unimaginable hardship from the July 13, 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania, shooting

Injuries sustained in the shooting

• ▪James Copenhaver suffered permanent, life-altering injuries from the July 13, 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania, shooting, including nerve damage, a loss of feeling in his left leg from the knee to the hip, and bullet fragments remaining in his body
• ▪James Copenhaver's friend Albert Quaye stated that Copenhaver had recovered from his injuries, stopped using a colostomy bag, and was walking without support before his death on September 23, 2026
• ▪During the July 13, 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, James Copenhaver was shot twice, sustaining wounds to his left triceps and his abdomen that required multiple surgeries, including a laparotomy and a transection of his colon

Lawsuit against the federal government

• ▪James Copenhaver's lawsuit against the federal government remains pending, and his wife Marianne Copenhaver will continue the legal action alongside co-plaintiff David Dutch
• ▪In June 2026, James Copenhaver and his wife Marianne filed a federal lawsuit against the United States government, alleging that Secret Service negligence caused his severe and permanent injuries

The Butler rally shooting

• ▪The July 13, 2024 assassination attempt by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks in Butler, Pennsylvania, killed firefighter Corey Comperatore, critically injured David Dutch, and grazed Donald Trump's right ear
• ▪Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania, in October 2024 to hold another campaign rally at the same site and honor Corey Comperatore

Security failures and investigations

• ▪Following the security failures during Donald Trump's July 13, 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, and six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay
• ▪Investigations by a bipartisan House task force and the Senate Homeland Security Committee concluded that the July 13, 2024 shooting at Donald Trump's Butler, Pennsylvania rally was preventable, citing significant Secret Service planning and communication failures

Debatable claims

• ▪The administrative punishments for Secret Service agents constitute sufficient accountability for the Butler security failures
• ▪The federal government is legally liable for the security failures at the 2024 Butler rally