Pittsburgh – David Jake Duch, one of two people shot and seriously injured at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, walked across the auditorium holding a T-shirt over his wound before calling for help, friends told Fox News Digital.
Duch, a Marine Corps veteran of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, was shot twice at a Trump rally — once in the abdomen and once in the liver, according to people who knew him at the American Legion and Veterans Association lodge in Lower Burrell.
“He’s given a lot to this club,” VFW Commander Lee Johnson told Fox News Digital. “He’s involved in several activities with the club. I’m really sorry for David and his wife. They’re great people. They’ve been members here for a long time.”
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David “Jake” Duch is a Marine Corps veteran who served in 1991’s Operation Desert Storm. (Facebook)
Johnson added that all members wish Duch a speedy recovery.
Johnson said he did not have details on the 57-year-old Marine veteran’s progress or full condition, but he was clearly showing signs of responding on Tuesday.
“He’s a really great guy.”
Another VFW member described Duch as a “great guy” who loved his country and former President Trump, and said it had been his dream for many years to attend the rally.
David Dutch was a member of the VFW in Lower Burrell, PA. (Fox News Digital)
Duch, who works for Siemens Innomotics in the Pittsburgh area, was described by other friends in the American Legion as a quiet man who embraced his military service with humility.
“If you didn’t know he was a Marine, you’d never know,” Roger Milliron Jr., who said he’d known Duch for 20 years, told Fox News Digital. “He’s not a loud or boisterous person. He’s not a social butterfly, he’s a hard worker. He’s a friend.”
David Duch was shot twice at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Facebook)
The morning after the rally, as the legion opened, Milliron and his friends were chatting at a bar when he shared the news about Duch.
“And then I told everybody here what happened and it went from cheerful conversation to total silence,” Milliron said.
Stephen Penn said Dutch loved his country so much that he would give the shirt off his back for anyone.
Friends described David Duch as a quiet, humble man. (Fox News Digital)
“He’ll talk to anybody. He’s a really good guy,” Penn said, adding that it was a “shock” to everyone at the American Legion lodge that Duch was among the victims injured at the rally.
Both lodges are collecting donations for Dutch.
“Our post stands with him 100 percent in supporting his family in every way,” Penn said.
Republican presidential nominee and former president Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Pennsylvania State Police identified the other victim injured at the rally as James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania.
State police also identified Corey Comperatore, 50, a volunteer firefighter from Buffalo Township, as the victim who was shot and killed Saturday while trying to protect his wife and daughters from gunfire.
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Federal authorities are still investigating the motive behind the shooter, Thomas Crooks, attempting to assassinate President Trump.
Federal authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident to submit a tip to FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
