Duo wounded in Trump’s Pennsylvania rally shooting break silence: ‘I’m sure there was negligence’
Jim Copenhaver and David Dutch both said they planned to sue the agency for failing in its duty to protect bystanders
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Two men who were wounded during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump this summer have broken their silence and accused the Secret Service of neglecting its duty.
Jim Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 57, were both struck by bullets when a gunman opened fire on the former president during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. A fellow spectator was also killed and Trump was wounded in the assassination attempt.
The shooting and slow investigation led some to question the Secret Service and its failures in securing the site.
Both men told NBC News that the Secret Service had failed to protect the former president, putting bystanders such as themselves at risk, and that they planned to sue the agency.
"I believe there was 100% negligence on the Secret Service – probably everybody involved in setting that security, down to inter-department communications," Dutch said. "The negligence was vast. It was terrible."
Copenhaver likewise said: "I’m sure there was negligence. It wouldn’t have happened, had it been secure."
The Secret Service has been heavily criticized for letting wannabe assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks get into position to fire off multiple shots at Trump while he was speaking on stage in a rural town.
Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle was forced to resign, and the agency reportedly put "multiple" agents on leave while it investigates what went wrong.
A later report by the Senate homeland security commiitee blamed the incident on chaotic and poor communications between Secret Service agents and local law enforcement officers, echoing the conclusions of an internal probe.
Former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed in the attack after throwing his body over those of his wife and two children to shield them from the gunfire.
Copenhaver was shot in the arms and abdomen, while Dutch caught a bullet in the liver, which he said felt "like getting hit with a sledgehammer."
Both men are still recovering from their wounds, and suffer ongoing health problems as a result.
"I never thought I’d be in this position. I was usually the other guy helping other people out," Dutch told NBC. "It's a struggle every day."
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