Two people who were seriously injured in the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump accused the Secret Service of “negligence” in their first public appearance since the rally shooting.
James Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 57, were seriously injured by two bullets at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, during which the bullet also grazed the former president's ear. .
Firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50, died protecting his family from sniper fire.
“I think everyone involved in setting up the security was 100 percent at fault, from the Secret Service to probably the communication between departments,” Dutch said. NBC News. “The negligence was huge. It was terrible.”
Asked if the Secret Service failed to protect Trump, 78, and attendees at the Butler Farm Show rally, Dutch said, “It's a big deal.”
“The whole security setup was inadequate,” he added.
Copenhaver agreed with Dutch's assessment.
“There was definitely some negligence,” he said. “If we had been safe, that wouldn't have happened.”
Lawyers from Holland and Copenhaver plan to file a lawsuit after completing an investigation into parties that may have been involved in the tragedy.
A Senate inquiry into the shootings said last month that the attempt to kill Trump by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks was “foreseeable” and “preventable,” and found the Senate's “failures in planning, communications, security, and resource allocation.” It was determined that this was the result. secret service.
Crooks, 20, was at the rally for about 70 minutes on the morning of the assassination attempt. He was able to fly a drone over the venue before Trump's arrival, and nearly 30 minutes before the shooting, at least eight Secret Service agents spotted a “suspicious” person with a rangefinder, later identified as an impostor. noticed the existence of
Dutch told NBC News that he was “angry” about security lapses during the shooting and that the sniper “fired into an unsuspecting crowd trying to shoot the president.”
“I was just angry that something like this happened,” Dutch said. “That should never have happened.”
Dutch, who was shot in the liver by Crooks, said the impact of the bullet “felt like a sledgehammer hitting me in the chest.”
He said he could see pieces of metal and bleachers “flying all around” until the shooting ended.
“Every day is a struggle,” Dutch said of the ongoing health issues he faces as a result of the shooting, including his inability to drive or lift more than 10 pounds.
Copenhaver, who was shot in the triceps and abdomen, said he knew something was wrong when he saw part of the sleeve of his shirt torn.
“I turned to my friend and said, 'I think I got shot,' and that's when I got hit a second time and fell down,” he said.
Copenhaver said he has lost 30 pounds since the shooting, but still experiences occasional abdominal pain and has to walk with a cane.
Mr. Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service agent shortly after the shooting.
