Two men who Thomas Matthew Crooks brutally injured at Donald Trump’s deadly July 13 Butler, Pennsylvania, rally have shared what happened after they were shot.
Jim Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 54, were both hit after the late 20-year-old Crooks opened up fire on the ex-president. Tragically, Crooks killed father and firefighter Corey Comperatore as he was shielding his family.
Revealing for the first time what happened to them after they received a barrage of gunfire, the pair sat down with Tom Llamas on NBC Nightly News in a highly-anticipated interview that aired Monday evening.
Copenhaver was shot twice, and Dutch once in the chest. Both men have sustained life-altering injuries as a result of that day.
‘It was like getting hit with a sledgehammer right in the chest,’ Dutch said.
David Dutch, 54, and Jim Copenhaver, 74, sat down with NBC News to reveal what happened to them after getting shot by Thomas Matthew Crooks at Donald Trump’s July 13 Butler, Pennsylvania, rally where the ex-president was shot
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‘I knew as soon as I got hit because there was chunks of bleacher and scrap metal flying all around until he finished firing,’ he continued.
The bullet split Dutch’s liver.
Copenhaver similarly described utter confusion after the bullets began flying.
‘I heard part of my sleeve go away, and I heard psheww,’ he noted of the sound the passing projectile made.
‘I mean I heard it distinctly. And I turned around to my friend and I said, “I think I was shot.”
‘That’s when I got the second. And then I went down,’ the 74-year-old recounted. ‘I mean I had no realization of anything except I couldn’t figure out why my shirt left in such a hurry.’
Copenhaver still has one of the bullets lodged in him, and he suffers from nerve damage as a result of his injuries.
The two also cast blame on the security officials in charge that day.
Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024.
Police snipers return fire after shots were fired while Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump was speaking at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024
'The negligence was vast,' Dutch said. 'It was terrible.'
'I believe there was 100 percent negligence on the Secret Service, probably everybody involved in setting that security, down to inter-department communications,' he added.
Dutch and Copenhaver said they believe the Secret Service and law enforcement failed Trump and innocent bystanders.
'The whole security setup was poor,' Dutch said, adding the lapse in security outraged him as Crooks 'tried to shoot the president, shot into a defenseless crowd.'
'I was just angry that the whole situation even happened. It should have never happened,' he continued.
Attorneys representing the two men are waiting for the multiple investigations into the incidents to continue before deciding which parties to hold accountable, NBC News reported.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump returned to a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa
The bullet from shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks grazed Trump's ear
Dutch and Copenhaver claim the tragedy has crippled them with ongoing health issues.
Both have lost weight and have difficulty with their mobility.
Copenhaver lost 30 pounds, now needs a cane and has occasional pain throughout his upper body.
Dutch said he lost 25 pounds, can't drive or carry over 10 pounds and needs constant care on his bullet wound.
'I never thought I'd be in this position,' Dutch said. 'I was usually the other guy helping other people out.'
'It's a struggle every day,' he continued.
The aftermath of the Butler campaign rally after everyone had left the venue
In the wake of the shooting, the former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was dragged before Congress to testify before resigning from the post the following day.
The agency has been in hot water ever since the incident, particularly because a second assassination attempt on Trump occurred months later on September 15.
Multiple investigations into the shooting remain ongoing.