A Trump supporter who was shot twice during the ex-president’s assassination attempt last month has spoken for the first time since he left the hospital.
David Dutch, a 57-year-old Marine, issued a statement Wednesday evening through his attorney expressing his gratitude to everyone for their support since he was shot while standing behind the stage where the former president was speaking on July 13.
He had initially been placed in a medically-induced coma for the gunshot wounds to his chest and liver.
‘David and his wife, Sheree, and the rest of the Dutch family wish to express their sincerest gratitude for the enormous level of support that they have received from their friends, their fellow Americans and everyone else, whether domestic or abroad, that have kept David and his family in their prayers,’ the statement to Fox News said.
The family also thanked ‘the brave men and women that saved his life, including, but not limited to, the police officers, the medics, the life flight crew and the medical professionals of Allegheny General Hospital, as well as those who continue to care for him as he navigates the road to recovery.
‘Further, David and his family wish to express their thoughts and prayers for the family of Corey Comperatore, who died a hero while shielding his wife and daughters from oncoming gunfire at the rally, for James Copenhaver, who survived two gunshot wounds at the rally while exercising his fundamental right to freely express his support for a political candidate and for President Trump, who did not cower in the face of danger and continues his fight to make America great again and restore America’s position as the most powerful and economically sound country in the world.’
Both Dutch and 74-year-old Copenhaver, who was also shot twice and was critically injured, have retained attorneys Nicholas Feldman and Joseph Feldman of the Law Offices of Max C Feldman ‘to protect their best interests as they navigate the most challenging time of their lives.’
Copenhaver is still recovering at a rehabilitation center, according to his attorney, who said he was hit in the arm and abdominal area.
‘He had almost seen or heard something whiz past him, which we’re assuming was a bullet,’ attorney Joseph Feldman said.
‘He felt it on his arm, and he looked down at his arm…and felt pain initially, but he hadn’t even realized he had been shot a second time at that point. It could have been shock.’
Both Dutch and Copenhaver were at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire, missing the former president but killing Corey Competore, 50.
Copenhaver even caught chilling video taken of the assassination attempt, showing a shadowy figure running across a rooftop moments before the former president was shot.
In the footage, obtained by Fox Digital, the figure appears briefly on a roof overlooking where Trump was being cheered by his rally crowd.
He appears to look towards Trump before running further along the roof. At the same time, Trump turns and is almost looking directly at his would-be assassin before he runs away.
Three minutes after the bombshell video was taken Crooks unleashed a hail of eight bullets, hitting Trump, Copenhaver and Dutch.
Crooks was eventually killed by a Secret Service sniper but major questions remain over the security breaches which allowed him to carry out the attack.
The lone gunman was identified as a suspicious person prior to the shooting, and was seen wandering around the event site in the hours before.
Disturbing video shot by someone in the crowd appears to show Crooks stalking around a building he would climb 60 minutes later in order to get the perfect vantage point from which to target Trump.
He managed to get onto the AGR building roof by climbing HVAC equipment and piping and hopping travelling along several roofs, according to the FBI.
Police were aware of a suspicious individual near the rally site around 90 minutes before the shooting began and snapped photos of Crooks at the scene.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was forced to resign amid the backlash over the blunders.
The FBI is still trying to investigate Crooks’ motive. A classmate told DailyMail.com he had previously been investigated over threats to ‘shoot up’ his school when he was aged just 15.
The incident was not taken seriously at the time but is now being probed by the agency.
In his first interview following the assassination attempt, Trump said he survived ‘by luck or by God’.