PITTSBURGH — Three months after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, the two men who were shot and survived are speaking out.
NBC News spoke with Jim Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 57, on Monday in an exclusive interview. Both men say they believe the Secret Service and law enforcement were negligent.
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“I’m sure there was negligence. It wouldn’t have happened, had it been secure,” Copenhaver said.
When asked if he believed the Secret Service failed him and the former president, Dutch said: “Big time.”
“The whole security setup was poor,” he said.
Copenhaver and Dutch told NBC News that they were elated to be at the rally and sitting in the bleachers behind the former president before they were shot. They described the moments during and after the shooting.
“It was like getting hit with a sledgehammer right in the chest. I knew as soon as I got hit,” Dutch said.
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“When I heard part of my sleeve go away and I heard ‘pshew,’ 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. I mean I had no realization of anything except I couldn’t figure out why my shirt left in such a hurry,” Copenhaver said.
Copenhaver was shot in the tricep and abdomen, and Dutch was hit in the liver. Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief, was killed.
Both men say the shooting has left them with ongoing health problems. Copenhaver said he has lost 30 pounds and has to walk with a cane now.
Dutch has lost 25 pounds and can’t drive or lift more than 10 pounds. He’s still tending to his bullet wound.
“It’s a struggle every day,” Dutch said.
Attorneys for Copenhaver and Dutch say they plan to sue.
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