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James Copenhaver, survivor of Trump rally shooting, dead after complications from injuries

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Fox News. (2026, September 24). James Copenhaver, survivor of Trump rally shooting, dead after complications from injuries. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/24/us-news/james-copenhaver-survivor-of-trump-rally-shooting-dead-after-complications-from-injuries/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-24 · by Fox News

Quick Summary

James Copenhaver, a 70-something-year-old man injured during a failed assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show complex outside Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, has died due to complications from his injuries. Copenhaver was one of several people shot by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired shots after scaling a building's roof near the event site. The House Republican Conference and journalist Ken Silva confirmed his death, noting that he had been dealing with permanent physical injuries including bullet fragments remaining in his body since the incident.
Written by AI on 2026-09-24, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

James Copenhaver, a 76-year-old man who was shot during an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, has died. Copenhaver was one of three people injured that day; he suffered gunshot wounds to his left arm and abdomen, leaving him with life-altering injuries and walking with a cane. The shooting occurred when Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old gunman, fired from a nearby rooftop. Copenhaver died on Wednesday at Allegheny Health Network’s West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh. His lawyer, Joseph Feldman, confirmed that he passed away surrounded by loved ones and stated that the family was deeply grateful for the support they received over the past two years.

Written for “Trump Rally Shooting Victim Dies” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump Rally Shooting Victim Dies
Politics · 11 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 14% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 59/100
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⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 70/100
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 68/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100
NPR
Hedges 1 of 17 claims Outlet record 60/100
Daily Mail
Hedges 5 of 37 claims Outlet record 68/100
Euronews
Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 60/100
The Independent
Hedges 1 of 7 claims Outlet record 59/100
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
ABC News (US)
Hedges 4 of 22 claims Outlet record 70/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
28
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
4 of 28 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
11
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-24 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 15783 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Fox News
402 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 I would have smacked his foot with my elbow.
🔮 Ahmed suggested that accommodations could include keeping dogs in a separate room to respect students and families with religious objections.
🔮 “Very different look but I would suggest to ditch the necklaces and button up the shirt,” one Instagram user commented.
🔮 Leff said Minneapolis passengers may face long walks between gates, but he said it still feels manageable.
🔮 He sleeps maybe four or five hours a night.
🔮 The “rusty treasure,” as researchers called it in a press release, would have been extremely valuable during the Iron Age, when iron production and trade were expanding across Europe.
🔮 Women may have a secret advantage over men when drinking bourbon, experts say
🔮 Instead, the 24-year-old vanished — and the man convicted of her murder would later make a disturbing admission about why she proved to be the “wrong person” to kill.
🔮 Last Halloween, an estimated 500 teens swarmed downtown Oak Park, where fights and gunshots erupted and police called in help from six neighboring agencies, according to a department memo. Oak Park Chief of Police Shatonya Johnson said the agency will be increasing the amount of officers on shift during Halloween, as well as several more measures aimed at preventing another teen takeover. Adults in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago are taking matters into their own hands and plan to show out en masse on the streets to prevent large gatherings by teenagers.
🔮 Historians report that Houdini was reclining on a couch when Whitehead asked if he could test his ability to withstand a blow to the stomach.
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by Fox News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 402 articles by Fox News →

Topics

Butler Butler County Coraopolis Pennsylvania Pittsburgh

Subjects

Copenhaver PERSON · 10× Butler PERSON · 5× Trump PERSON · 5× Pennsylvania GPE · 3× Crooks PERSON · 2× David Dutch PERSON · 2× Fox News Digital ORG · 2× Jim PERSON · 2× Pittsburgh ORG · 2× Thomas Matthew Crooks PERSON · 2×

Narrative

Copenhaver, in his mid-70s, was one of several people who attempted assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at the Butler Farm Show complex outside Butler, PennsylvaniaCopenhaver, in his mid-70s, was one of several people who attempted assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at the Butler Farm Show complex outside Butler, Pennsylvania, after Crooks scaled the roof of a nearby glass manufacturing building and took aim at the then-presidential candidate.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-24
🔮 May he rest in peace,” the caucus said in a statement.

Claims (28 extracted, 4 hedged)

James Copenhaver, of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, who was wounded in a failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in 2024, has died, according to several reports. uncertain
who → wound → reports
Copenhaver, in his mid-70s, was one of several people who attempted assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at the Butler Farm Show complex outside Butler, PennsylvaniaCopenhaver, in his mid-70s, was one of several people who attempted assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at the Butler Farm Show complex outside Butler, Pennsylvania, after Crooks scaled the roof of a nearby glass manufacturing building and took aim at the then-presidential candidate. asserted
Crooks → attempt → candidate
A person who answered a phone number connected to Copenhaver’s family directed Fox News Digital to a Pittsburgh-area law firm for confirmation and further comment. asserted
who → answer → confirmation
The House Republican Conference posted an obituary for Copenhaver on social media, saying he had died Thursday and that lawmakers were “deeply saddened.” asserted
lawmakers → post → media
“Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance. asserted
Jim → endure → strength
We join his family and loved ones in mourning his loss and praying for them during this difficult time. asserted
We → join → time
May he rest in peace,” the caucus said in a statement. uncertain
caucus → rest → statement
Ken Silva, a journalist who wrote a book about the assassination attempt, wrote on his website that a person close to Copenhaver’s family also confirmed Copenhaver had died and had been dealing with permanent injuries, including bullet fragments still lodged in his body. asserted
Copenhaver → write → body
David Dutch was also wounded in the shooting but survived. asserted
Dutch → wound → shooting
Butler County firefighter Corey Comperatore was shot and killed in the bleachers behind Trump’s dais that day. asserted
Comperatore → shoot → dais
Speaking to Pittsburgh’s KDKA in 2025, Copenhaver said he stood to look at the jumbotron behind him as Trump spoke. asserted
Trump → speak → him
“Next thing I know, my sleeve has been yanked,” he said. asserted
he → know → ?
“I could see a portion of it going by pretty fast, and I heard ‘pew.’ uncertain
I → see → pew
I heard it, and I didn’t realize at the time that I had gotten shot.” Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! asserted
Report → hear → news
It didn’t knock me over, but I didn’t want to stand anymore,” he told the station. asserted
he → knock → station
A lawsuit Copenhaver filed against the United States earlier this year alleged he was also required to undergo multiple surgeries. asserted
he → file → surgeries
Mayor Jondavid Longo of nearby Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania — who spoke at the Butler rally — mourned Copenhaver’s reported death Thursday. “[Copenhaver] survived that day, but he never fully recovered from the wounds. asserted
he → speak → wounds
For two years he lived with surgeries, remaining fragments, and pain that never left him. asserted
that → live → him
Those of us who were there that day have never forgotten Corey Comperatore, David Dutch, or Jim,” Longo said in a statement on X. “Butler County still carries that afternoon. asserted
County → forget → afternoon
May he rest in peace. uncertain
he → rest → peace
The attack triggered intense scrutiny of the Secret Service after investigations uncovered breakdowns in planning, communication and security around the rally site. asserted
investigations → trigger → site
Then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned less than two weeks later, taking responsibility for the security lapse. asserted
Cheatle → resign → lapse
A subsequent bipartisan House task force concluded the Butler attack was preventable and identified failures in planning, execution and leadership. asserted
attack → conclude → planning
One of the Republican lawmakers on that task force, Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, climbed onto the roof Crooks used to take aim at Trump and later told Fox News Digital he was incredulous at how easy it was to scale after Cheatle had cited the roof’s slope in explaining why it was not secured. asserted
it → climb → slope
Six Secret Service agents were later suspended without pay in connection with the failures. asserted
agents → suspend → failures
Trump returned to Butler in October 2024, less than three months after the assassination attempt, to hold another rally at the same site and honor Comperatore. asserted
Trump → return → Comperatore
Trump’s raised fist and mouthing of the word “fight” became a lasting image of the assassination attempt that he used throughout his successful campaign to become the first president since Grover Cleveland to serve two nonconsecutive terms. asserted
he → raise → terms
This is a developing story. asserted
This → develop → ?
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