Butler Rally Shooting Victims Sue U.S. Over Secret Service Security Failures
Two men who were shot at former President Donald Trump's Butler, Pennsylvania, rally filed separate federal lawsuits on Monday, June 1, accusing the U.S. government of Secret Service security failures that allowed the attack.[1]
The plaintiffs are James Copenhaver and David Dutch, who sued the United States in the Western District of Pennsylvania and allege gross negligence by the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).[1] The complaints say agents failed to secure the AGR Complex roof used by shooter Thomas Crooks and cite a Senate finding that described a "cascade of preventable failures." Fox News Both men were struck in the abdomen; Dutch underwent multiple surgeries and Copenhaver was hit in the abdomen and arm, with bullet fragments still lodged in his body.[1]
On July 13, 2024, Crooks opened fire from the AGR Complex roof during the rally, an assault that the lawsuits say was enabled by fragmented command structures and inadequate communications among protective agencies.[1] The filings argue those organizational failures directly contributed to the attack's success and seek to hold the federal government liable for the victims' injuries.[1]
Show source details & analysis (1 source)
📌 Key Facts
- On Monday in the week of June 1, 2026, James Copenhaver and David Dutch filed separate federal lawsuits in the Western District of Pennsylvania over the July 13, 2024 Butler rally shooting.
- The complaints name the United States as defendant and allege gross negligence by the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security for failing to secure the AGR Complex roof used by shooter Thomas Crooks.
- Both men were shot in the abdomen during the rally; Dutch underwent multiple surgeries, and Copenhaver was hit in the abdomen and arm with bullet fragments still lodged in his body.
- The lawsuits quote Senate findings describing a "cascade of preventable failures" by the Secret Service and argue that fragmented command structures and inadequate communications contributed to the successful attack.
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time