Pennsylvania men shot during Trump rally in Butler sue the United States

The two men who were wounded in a shooting during then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's 2024 rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds are suing the United States. 

James Copenhaver and David Dutch were shot during the attempted assassination of Trump on July 13, 2024, in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Their attorneys filed federal lawsuits against the United States for their "life altering physical and emotional injuries," claiming those injuries were a direct result of negligence on the part of the United States Secret Service. Dutch was shot in the stomach, while Copenhaver was shot twice. 

The complaints said, "The assassination attempt on President Trump's life was entirely preventable and was caused, in whole or in part, by the failures of the USSS in the days leading up to the event as well as on the day of the assassination attempt."

The families allege the lack of action by the Secret Service allowed the shooter, Thomas Crooks, who was seen "acting erratically in the hours before the shooting," to climb onto the roof of the AGR building and fire eight shots before being killed by a countersniper.

They said in the lawsuit that agents failed to secure the roof of the AGR building, had "inadequate and improper lines of communication" with local and state agencies, failed to find and question Crooks, and failed to use "drone technology" that would have located Crooks "more than two hours prior to the shooting."

The plaintiffs said when local law enforcement saw Crooks "acting erratically" and using a range finder, they shared an alert with a photo of him, but because of "USSS policies and procedures this information was not widely disseminated to all USSS personnel."

The suit also referenced congressional investigations revealing a "cascade of preventable failures" and the Secret Service acknowledging them. They said if the Secret Service followed its policies and procedures, the shooting wouldn't have happened, and the plaintiffs wouldn't have been injured or had to undergo the many more surgeries expected in their future.

Both families are seeking in excess of $150,000. A spokesperson for the Secret Service told KDKA that it does not comment on pending litigation. KDKA also reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice for a statement but has not heard back as of Tuesday evening.