Survivors of Trump Rally shooting accuse Secret Service of ‘Negligence’

James Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 57, sustained critical wounds after both of them were shot twicw at the Butler, Pennsylvania, in Trump rally, during which a bullet also abraded the former president’s ear.

Dutch during an interview said, “I was more mad about it than anything. I mean, I was in the service, went through a war, didn’t even get a scratch. And yet, go to a rally and you get shot in the crowd.” Dutch said his anger overrode everything else. When he was asked what he was specifically angry about, Dutch said, “The security.”

Copenhaver, who now walks with a cane, said he realised something was going wrong when he saw part of his sleeve go away and heard gunshot noises. He said, “I heard it distinctly and then I turned around to my friend and said, ‘I think I was shot.’ “

Both men were injured by a gunfire after a lone gunman opened fire on Trump from a nearby rooftop just minutes into the Republican candidate’s rally in Butler, on July 13. Trump’s ear was grazed as he ducked to avoid the hails of bullets, but the gunfire struck multiple attendees, including Corey Comperatore, who died while protecting the family from bullets.

Copenhaver was shot twice. One bullet tore his triceps, while the other is still present in his body, leaving him with a nerve damage.

The bullet that hit Dutch split his liver. He compared it to getting hit with a “sledgehammer right in the chest.” He said, “I could feel my ribs were all busted up.”

The assassination attempt put the Secret Service under intense examination for its failure to detect the threat and prevent it from happening. The examination increased after Trump survived yet another assassination attempt by a lone gunman who was spotted hiding in the shrubbery near Trump’s golf course in Florida.

When asked if he believed the Secret Service failed them and the president in Butler, Dutch responded: “Oh yes, big time.” Copenhaver said, “It was a rush job. It was put together too quickly, and they skipped steps.”