BUTLER, Pa. — Two men injured during the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump are speaking out, claiming that the U.S. Secret Service exhibited “negligence” in their protective duties at the campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
David Dutch, 57, a former Marine, and James Copenhaver, 74, a retired liquor store manager, described their experience during an exclusive interview. They were seated in the bleachers behind the Republican nominee at the Butler fairgrounds on July 13 when gunfire erupted, resulting in their injuries.
In the violent incident, another individual, Corey Comperatore, 50, tragically lost his life while trying to shield his family. Trump himself suffered an ear injury amidst the chaos.
This marks the first public statement from Dutch and Copenhaver since the shooting, which involved a 20-year-old assailant who unleashed gunfire from an unsecured rooftop before being fatally shot by law enforcement.
“It felt like being hit with a sledgehammer right in the chest,” Dutch recalled, describing the scene as debris from the bleachers and surrounding metal flew through the air. He expressed his ongoing frustration, stating that such an incident “should have never happened.” Their attorneys are exploring potential legal action concerning the perceived negligence of the Secret Service.
Copenhaver emphasized the gravity of the situation, asserting, “It wouldn’t have happened, had it been secure.”
The Secret Service’s response to the incident has been called into question, with Kimberly Cheatle, the agency’s director at the time, labeling the assassination attempt as their “most significant operational failure” in decades. Following public outcry, she stepped down from her position.
In a recent return to the Pennsylvania fairgrounds, Trump addressed a large crowd, linking his survival of the shooting to a call for a victory on Election Day.
