Two men who were brutally injured by Thomas Matthew Crooks at Donald Trump’s deadly July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, have shared what happened after they were shot.
Jim Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 54, were hit after Crooks, 20, opened fire on the former president. Tragically, Crooks killed father and firefighter Corey Comperatore while protecting his family.
Revealing for the first time what happened to them after being shot at, the couple sat down with Tom Llamas on NBC Nightly News in a highly anticipated interview that aired Monday night.
Copenhaver was shot twice and Dutch was shot once in the chest. Both men suffered life-changing injuries as a result of that day.
“It was like taking a sledgehammer right in the chest,” Dutch said.
David Dutch, 54, and Jim Copenhaver, 74, sat down with NBC News to reveal what happened to them after they were shot by Thomas Matthew Crooks at Donald Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where The former president was shot.
“I knew as soon as they hit me because there were pieces of bleachers and scrap metal flying everywhere until he finished shooting,” he continued.
The bullet ruptured Dutch’s liver.
Copenhaver similarly described complete confusion after bullets started flying.
“I heard part of my sleeve go away and I heard psheww,” he noted of the sound the projectile made as it passed.
‘I mean I heard it clearly. And I turned to my friend and said, “I think I got shot.”
“That’s when I got the second one. And then I fell,” says the 74-year-old. “I mean, I didn’t realize anything except that I couldn’t understand why my shirt went away in such a hurry.”
Copenhaver still has one of the bullets lodged in him and is suffering from nerve damage as a result of his injuries.
The two also blamed the security officers in charge that day.
Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is led off stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
Police snipers return fire after shots were fired while Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump spoke at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
“The negligence was enormous,” Dutch said. “It was terrible.”
“I think there was 100 percent negligence on the part of the Secret Service, probably everyone involved in setting up that security, down to the communications between departments,” he added.
Dutch and Copenhaver said they believe the Secret Service and law enforcement failed Trump and innocent bystanders.
“The entire security system was poor,” Dutch said, adding that the security failure angered him when Crooks “attempted to shoot the president, shooting into a defenseless crowd.”
‘I was just angry that the whole situation happened. This should never have happened,’ he continued.
Lawyers representing the two men are waiting for multiple investigations into the incidents to continue before deciding which parties to hold responsible. NBC News reported.
Former President Donald Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, returned to a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks’ bullet grazed Trump’s ear
Dutch and Copenhaver say the tragedy has crippled them with ongoing health problems.
They have both lost weight and have difficulty with their mobility.
Copenhaver lost 30 pounds, now needs a cane and has occasional pain in his upper body.
Dutch said he lost 25 pounds, can’t drive or carry more than 10 pounds and needs constant care for his gunshot wound.
“I never thought I’d be in this position,” Dutch said. “Normally I was the other one helping other people.”
“It’s a struggle every day,” he continued.
The aftermath of Butler’s campaign rally after everyone left the venue
In the wake of the shooting, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was dragged before Congress to testify before resigning from her position the next day.
The agency has been in trouble since the incident, particularly because a second assassination attempt against Trump occurred months later, on September 15.
Multiple investigations into the shooting remain ongoing.