Men wounded at Trump Butler rally sue Secret Service for negligence

Two men who were shot at a Pennsylvania rally where a gunman tried to assassinate Donald Trump are suing the federal government.

In separate but similar lawsuits filed Monday in the Western District of Pennsylvania, James Copenhaver and David Dutch alleged that the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were grossly negligent in their failure to secure event facilities in Butler, Pennsylvania. The lawsuits specifically mention the AGR Complex roof used by hitman Thomas Crooks.

The United States government is named as the defendant in the lawsuits, and the plaintiffs are joined by their spouses.

“Congressional investigations also reviewed USSS’s failures on the day of the assassination attempt, including, but not limited to, Senate findings concluding that USSS’s failures led directly to the shooting complained of here,” the lawsuit states, adding that USSS’s conduct consisted of a “chain of preventable failures.”

Dutch was shot in the abdomen and underwent multiple surgeries. According to his complaint, Copenhaver was shot twice in the abdomen and left arm, and left body parts after the shooting.

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The shooting occurred on July 13, 2024, during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds. Crooks grazed Trump’s ear with a bullet and was killed by a Secret Service sniper seconds after opening fire from a nearby rooftop.

Former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, who attended the event, was killed while protecting his family.

The lawsuits detail the Secret Service’s “series of preventable failures” that allowed the shooting to occur; It points out that security cannot be ensured, especially despite warnings that the complex framework has a security vulnerability.

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James Copenhaver and David Dutch were shot and wounded at a rally organized by Thomas Matthew Crooks on July 13. Both men are suing the federal government, citing security failures by the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security. (Fox News)

“Defendant United States of America, [Secret Service]”He made grave mistakes and failed to comply with and adhere to various protocols, policies and procedures that directly and indirectly caused and/or allowed the shooting to occur,” the lawsuits state.

“The assassination attempt on President Trump’s life was entirely preventable and was due in whole or in part to the failures of the USSS in the days before the incident and on the day of the assassination attempt,” the complaints continued.

In addition to security failures, the complaints allege that the Secret Service has created an environment in which critical information cannot be shared because it has established fragmented, separate command centers rather than a single, unified center.

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Then-Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face as Secret Service agents surround him and escort him off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, after gunshots were heard at the rally. (Rebecca Droke/AFP/Getty Images)

Agents also resorted to inadequate communication methods, such as using cell phones to relay messages between trailers instead of using centralized radio channels, which “severely hindered” the transmission of security information, according to lawsuit documents.

Legal records also state that authorities observed Crooks acting erratically, using a rangefinder and becoming the subject of a search in the hours before the shooting. The lawsuits argue that the Secret Service essentially acknowledged these failures.

David Dutch walks away from Trump’s rally with apparent gunshot wounds. (Beaver County Republican Committee)

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“Indeed [Secret Service] He himself acknowledged that his failures included ‘failures in communications, technological problems, and human error,’ all of which contributed to the shooting, and that his conduct constituted ‘an operational failure that the Secret Service will carry as a reminder of the critical importance of the zero-failure mission and the need for continuous improvement.'” “In addition, numerous agents were held accountable for their actions and omissions, including suspension without pay, and these individuals were placed on limited duty and/or shifted to non-operational positions.”

Both lawsuits seek $150,000 in damages, plus interest and attorney fees.

Fox News has reached out to the White House, Secret Service and DHS for comment.