Two survivors of former President Trump's assassination during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania are placing the blame squarely on the Secret Service.
James Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 57, shared their experiences and emotions in an interview with NBC News that aired Monday. Dutch said her anger took precedence over everything else.
“I was more upset about that than anything,” Dutch said. “I mean, I was in the military, I was in the war, I didn’t get a scratch, and yet I go to a rally and I get shot in the crowd.”
When asked what specifically he was angry about, Dutch replied, “Security.”
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LR: David Dutch and James Copenhaver. (Facebook; handout for families)
“When I saw part of my sleeve missing and heard the noise, I knew something was wrong,” said Copenhaver, who now walks with a cane. [gunshot noises]. ”
“I heard it clearly, so I turned to my friend and said, 'I think I got shot,'” he said.
On July 13, just minutes after a rally for Republican candidates began in Butler, Pennsylvania, a lone gunman opened fire on President Trump from a nearby rooftop, injuring two people. President Trump's ear was grazed as he ducked to avoid a hail of bullets, but the gunfire struck multiple attendees, including Corey Comperatore, who was killed as he was shielding his family from the bullets.
The late Corey Comperatore's firefighter's coat is erected in the crowd at a rally for former President Donald Trump on Saturday, October 5, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Matthew McDermott, Fox News Digital)
Copenhaver was shot twice, with one bullet tearing his triceps and the other still lodged in his body, causing nerve damage. This can be compared to someone “smoking a cigarette on his leg and getting a burn on the right side.”
The bullet that hit Dutch lacerated his liver. He likened it to “being hit in the chest with a sledgehammer.”
“I felt all my ribs were broken,” Dutch told NBC News.
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The assassination attempt brought the Secret Service under intense scrutiny for failing to detect and prevent the threat from occurring. Trump has come under increased scrutiny after he survived another assassination attempt by a lone gunman who was found hiding in shrubbery near Trump's golf course in Florida, where the former president was playing a round. It has increased.
Asked if the Secret Service believed they and President Butler had failed, Dutch said, “Oh, yeah, that's a big deal.”
Former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Calhoun Ranch on Saturday, October 12, 2024 in Coachella, California. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
“It was a rush job. We assembled it too quickly and skipped steps,” Copenhaver said.
A man was arrested on gun charges outside President Trump's Coachella rally in California on Sunday. The man, Bem Miller, 49, told FOX News Digital that he reported the gun to authorities. He said he always travels with a gun but never uses it. He maintained that the documents, which Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco claimed were forgeries, were legal.
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The arrest on firearms charges sparked speculation after two assassination attempts against Trump since July. However, he was soon released on $5,000 bail and no federal charges have been filed so far.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Secret Service for an interview.
Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
