wounded

Donald Trump speaks Oct. 5, 2024, at at the Butler Farm Show grounds, the site of an assassination attempt three months earlier. Two men injured in that incident are suing the federal government for negligence. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI. | License Photo

June 2 (UPI) — Two supporters of President Donald Trump who were injured during an assassination attempt during Trump’s 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pa., are suing the federal government for negligence.

James Copenhaver and David Dutch, both of Pennsylvania, attended the rally in July 2024 and were shot by Thomas Crooks, whom authorities say tried to assassinate Trump. Copenhaver was struck twice and received injuries to his abdomen, spine and left arm, his lawsuit says, while Dutch was shot and suffered “severe, serious, permanent and grievous injuries” according to his lawsuit.

Crooks killed one person, attendee Corey Comperatore, in the attack. Trump received a minor wound to his ear. Secret Service members killed Crooks on site.

The two lawsuits say the Secret Service failed to properly secure the rally, leading to their injuries. Copenhaver’s wife, Marianne Copenhaver, is also part of his lawsuit. The plaintiffs are seeking at least $150,000 in damages each, Politico reported.

“The events which led to [Dutch’s] grievous and permanent injuries were shocking and preventable, should not have happened, and the failures, as highlighted herein, exposed President Trump and all Butler Rally attendees … to grave, mortal danger,” Dutch’s lawsuit says. It says the security failures at the rally were “rampant.”

A House of Representatives task force and a Senate committee on homeland security both found that the Secret Service had “significant failures” in security at the event, including failures to act on tips about the shooter before the rally. The Secret Service suspended six agents for their actions.

May 18 (UPI) — Authorities said Sunday night that officers arrested three teenagers, ending a weekend shooting spree through southern Austin that left four people wounded, including one critically.

The shootings began Saturday afternoon, with the first calls to police recorded at about 3:45 p.m. CDT. A shelter-in-place order was issued amid the shootings and was lifted shortly before 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

At least 12 separate shootings, mostly in south Austin, were recorded in the crime spree, according to authorities, who said at least two separate fire stations were struck, as were several buildings and homes.

Authorities had been searching Sunday for a stolen white Kia in connection with the shootings. When police pulled it over, three people exited the vehicle and ran. Officers pursued and arrested two suspects — identified as a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old — at the scene, authorities said.

The Manor Police Department announced later Sunday that the third suspect, identified as a Hispanic male in his mid-to-late teens, had been apprehended.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters during a press conference held Sunday night prior to the third arrest that police had been searching for the 15-year-old and 17-year-old and were unsure of the third suspect’s involvement.

Davis described the gunmen as firing indiscriminately from a stolen vehicle that would be abandoned, followed by the theft of another vehicle. More than four vehicles were stolen during the spree, she said.

“And so a motive? I don’t know what a motive is. I don’t know what motive would drive anybody to come and drive around senselessly in the city and in multiple parts of the city shooting,” Davis said.

The investigation began when police were notified of a stolen vehicle from an apartment complex, followed by the alleged theft of a firearm by the 15-year-old from a gun store, Davis said. The 17-year-old was also wanted in connection with an earlier firearm theft from the same store, she said.

“At that point, we were not aware that these two cases were connected. What transpired after that was an estimated of 20 service calls related to these individuals, predominantly in south and east areas of Austin,” she said.

The identities of the victims have not been disclosed.

Davis said a woman was shot from a moving vehicle as she was speaking to another person on Saturday. On Sunday, a man was shot in the back while walking his dog.

All four victims, three with non-life-threatening injuries, were transported to local trauma centers, authorities said.