Jan 8, 2025 By Mike Jones 3 min read

Two men wounded when a would-be assassin’s bullets struck them at President-elect Donald Trump’s rally in Butler this summer have put Washington County and numerous other counties and municipalities on notice they plan to sue over security lapses at the campaign event.

The New York-based attorneys for David Dutch and James Copenhaver sent letters to Washington County officials recently notifying them they plan to sue the county and its Department of Public Safety since members of the county’s regional SWAT team were on site providing security when shots were fired at Trump during the July 13 rally.

The notice lists numerous counties and individual municipalities in the region – apparently including the various SWAT teams and local police departments that composed those groups that were part of the security detail – as failing to protect the former president and bystanders.

Several members of the Washington County Regional SWAT team – which is made up of officers from various local police departments – were helping to provide security at the rally, but were stationed far from where the 20-year-old shooter was perched atop a building when he squeezed off several rounds before a U.S. Secret Service countersniper shot and killed him.

Dutch and Copenhaver, who were seated in risers behind Trump during the rally at the Butler Farm Show, were struck by gunfire and seriously wounded. The letter states they continue to deal with serious health problems from their injuries.

Another rally-goer, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore of Sarver, was killed as he tried to shield his family from the gunfire. Trump was nicked by a bullet in the right ear and whisked off stage by Secret Service agents.

No lawsuit has been filed as of yet by Speiser Krause, the personal injury law firm representing Dutch and Copenhaver, but the notices sent to Washington County and other counties clearly indicate one is forthcoming. A phone call to the law firm, which is based in Rye Brook, N.Y., was not returned Tuesday.

Washington County solicitor Gary Sweat informed the commissioners of the possibility of the lawsuit during their Tuesday morning agenda setting meeting. He questioned why Washington County could be roped into the lawsuit because the Regional SWAT team is a separate entity, and suggested their insurance would be the ones to react to any potential lawsuit.

“The regional SWAT is not under the umbrella of the county,” Sweat said after the meeting. “They have their own independent existence.”

Sweat said he has seen no evidence that the Washington County Regional SWAT team and various municipal police departments that supplied members were responsible for the security plan or its implementation.

“They were basically just backup, and from what I’m seeing, the U.S. Secret Service had total control over the site and security,” Sweat said. “I think once you get down into the specifics, you’ll find that the regional SWAT teams were not responsible for any of the security lapses because they did not design or institute the plan. They were backup. So, we’ll see what happens.”