BUTLER, Pa. — Two individuals injured in the first assassination attempt against Donald Trump this summer have voiced serious concerns regarding the U.S. Secret Service’s level of protection for the former president and those attending the campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
David Dutch, a 57-year-old former Marine, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, who once managed a liquor store, shared their experiences during an exclusive Monday interview with NBC News. The two men expressed their initial excitement as they sat in the bleachers directly behind the Republican nominee at the Butler fairgrounds on July 13, only to be caught in a sudden flurry of gunfire.
The tragic incident claimed the life of Corey Comperatore, 50, who was reportedly protecting his family when the shooting occurred. Trump himself sustained a minor injury, getting shot in the ear. This interview marks the first time Dutch and Copenhaver have spoken publicly since the event, where a 20-year-old shooter named Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park opened fire from a nearby unsecured rooftop before being fatally shot by law enforcement sharpshooters.
Reflecting on the chaotic moment, Dutch described the sensation as akin to being struck “with a sledgehammer” in the chest. He recounted how debris from the bleacher and metal fragments were scattered everywhere until the situation was finally under control.
Dutch voiced his ongoing anger over the incident, asserting that the circumstances should never have taken place. Reports indicate that both men are considering legal action, alleging negligence on the part of the Secret Service. Copenhaver echoed this sentiment, stating that the shooting could have been avoided if a proper security perimeter had been established.
Kimberly Cheatle, who was the head of the Secret Service at the time, referred to the assassination attempt during the rally as the agency’s “most significant operational failure” in recent decades. Following the incident and a surge of calls for accountability from lawmakers, Cheatle resigned from her position earlier this summer.
In a recent visit back to the same Pennsylvania fairgrounds where he faced the assassination attempt, Trump rallied a large audience earlier this month, linking the upcoming Election Day victory to his survival of that shooting incident.
