Thomas Crooks, 20, named gunman; Copenhaver’s bullet lodged next to spine

“Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance,” House Republicans wrote in a Friday social media post joining tributes to Jim Copenhaver, 76, who died this week from complications of injuries he sustained in the 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump campaign rally shooting.

Copenhaver died Wednesday at a hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, according to a statement from the Allegheny County medical examiner shared with local media, the BBC reported. The BBC attributed the announcement to the Pennsylvania attorney general.

The BBC identified the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, who opened fire from a nearby rooftop during the rally. The US Secret Service killed Crooks after the shooting. The same attack killed Corey Comperatore, another rally attendee, and grazed Trump’s ear. Copenhaver, struck twice, became the second person to die from injuries in the attack.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Copenhaver a “true American patriot.” “More than two years ago in Butler, Pennsylvania, a crazed gunman attempted to stifle our America First Movement. Instead, Jim and so many other wonderful Patriots who love our Country, stood unified in defense of our shared values of Freedom, Liberty, and Justice,” Trump said. He added: “Our hearts and prayers are with the Copenhaver family, especially his incredible wife Marianne.”

An attorney for Copenhaver’s family told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that his dedication to the United States 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,” the lawyer said in a statement.

In an interview with CBS a year after the Butler rally, Copenhaver and David Dutch, the third attendee who was shot, said they had been through infections and surgeries after being wounded. Copenhaver was struck in the arm and the abdomen. A year later, the bullet remained lodged in his body next to his spine, he told CBS, leaving him walking with a cane.

Both Dutch and Copenhaver sued the federal government for damages in June, the BBC reported, arguing the Secret Service failed to ensure their safety and was therefore liable for their injuries.