President Trump this week honored Jim Copenhaver, the Pennsylvania rallygoer who died from complications of the gunshot wounds he suffered when a gunman opened fire at the July 2024 Butler campaign event, a loss that closed another chapter in the attack’s lasting toll.

Copenhaver, a veteran from Coraopolis in his mid-70s, was one of two audience members struck by rifle fire from Thomas Matthew Crooks on July 13, 2024. Crooks shot from a rooftop on the event grounds, wounding then-candidate Donald Trump in the ear before government snipers stopped him. Firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed that day, and David Dutch of New Kensington was also hurt.

Fox News reported that Copenhaver died September 23, 2026, after more than two years of permanent injuries that included bullet fragments, multiple surgeries, and lasting pain. He never fully recovered.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said the death came “from complications stemming from those wounds.” A family lawyer confirmed the devoted husband, father, and grandfather died Wednesday surrounded by loved ones, two years after he was gravely wounded.

One bullet hit Copenhaver in the triceps. Another damaged his colon and left nerve damage, with fragments remaining in his body. The Washington Examiner noted he was 76 and that Headline USA editor Ken Silva first shared word of the death, writing it was “no secret that Jim was dealing with permanent injuries from Butler.”

Trump’s tribute names the bravery that outlasted the wounds

President Trump posted a tribute on Truth Social mourning the man he called a true American patriot. Just the News carried the full message in which Trump described the attack and Copenhaver’s response.

Trump wrote:

"Jim Copenhaver, a true American Patriot, has passed away, A tremendous loss! 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 united in defense of our shared values of Freedom, Liberty, and Justice. After being wounded while protecting his family, Jim showed tremendous bravery, courageously continuing to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, and maintaining a positive spirit despite unimaginable hardships. His indelible legacy of love and devotion will forever endure. Our hearts and prayers are with the Copenhaver family, especially his incredible wife Marianne. God bless you all!"

The post underscored that Copenhaver had been seated behind Trump and was wounded while shielding his family. Trump’s words framed the death as a tremendous loss for the movement and the country.

Family members released their own statement, carried in coverage of the death, calling James’s dedication to the country a defining part of his life. As a veteran he proudly served the nation, and they described him as a true American patriot.

Officials and local leaders mark the cost that stretched past the rally day

The New York Post reported that the House Republican Conference issued a statement mourning the loss: “Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance. We join his family and loved ones in mourning his loss and praying for them during this difficult time. May he rest in peace.”

Local mayor Jondavid Longo added that Copenhaver survived that day but never fully recovered. For two years he lived with surgeries, remaining fragments, and pain that never left him. Those details match the medical picture given by the attorney general and the family lawyer.

The same Butler rally shooting that killed Comperatore and wounded Dutch and Copenhaver has continued to surface in later reporting on the attack’s aftermath and the families left behind.

Breitbart News detailed how Crooks sprayed several shots from the rooftop before snipers ended the assault. Copenhaver’s injuries were severe enough that bullet fragments stayed lodged and nerve damage persisted long after the event.

Readers following the broader pattern of threats have also seen coverage of the widow of the slain Butler firefighter speaking out about the attack, keeping public attention on the human cost paid by ordinary citizens who simply showed up to a campaign rally.

Two years of surgeries and fragments that never left

Copenhaver’s case stands apart because he lived long enough for the complications to become the official cause of death. The initial tally listed two dead that July afternoon, Comperatore and Crooks. Dutch and Copenhaver were the injured survivors. Only later did the second set of wounds claim another life.

Journalist Ken Silva, who wrote a book on the attempt, relayed that a person close to the family confirmed the permanent injuries. Those included the fragments still inside Copenhaver’s body years afterward. The timeline runs from the rooftop shots on July 13, 2024, through repeated medical interventions, to the Wednesday death announcement this week.

Separate reporting has examined other edges of the same episode, including how an anonymous donor paid for the cremation of the gunman. That detail sits alongside the ongoing grief of the families who lost loved ones or watched them suffer.

Trump’s own ear wound healed. Copenhaver’s did not. The president’s Truth Social post returned to the language of patriotism, family protection, and unbroken spirit. He named Marianne specifically and asked for prayers for the whole family.

Security concerns around Trump have not ended with Butler. Later cases have included an armed man charged after scouting a golf club ahead of a presidential visit, reminders that the threats continue even as older wounds still claim lives.

Copenhaver was a mid-70s veteran, husband, father, and grandfather who went to a rally and came home with injuries that outlasted the news cycle. The attorney general’s plain statement, complications stemming from those wounds, leaves little room for ambiguity about the link.

The public record now carries Trump’s tribute, the family’s confirmation, the mayor’s account of surgeries and unending pain, and the conference’s expression of respect. Together they close the file on one more person hurt that day in Butler.

Lawful citizens who turn out to hear a candidate should not leave with lifelong injuries or worse. When they do, the least a country can do is remember their names and the cost they paid.