The men injured at the Trump Butler meeting are suing the Secret Service for negligence

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

James Copenhaver and David Dutch allege in separate but similar lawsuits filed Monday in the Western District of Pennsylvania that the US Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were grossly negligent in their failure to protect the venue in Butler, Pennsylvania. The charges specifically mention the roof of the AGR Complex used by the shooter, Thomas Crooks.

The lawsuits name the United States government as a defendant, and the plaintiffs are joined by their wives in the lawsuit.

“The Congressional investigation also reviewed the USSS’s failures on the day of the assassination attempt, including the Senate’s findings that concluded that the USSS’s failures directly led to the shooting complained of here, including, but not limited to, that the USSS’s conduct included “a number of preventable failures,” the lawsuit said.

Dutch was shot in the abdomen and underwent multiple surgeries. Copenhaver was hit by two bullets in the stomach and left arm, and fragments remain in his body following the shooting, according to his complaint.

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The shooting happened on July 13, 2024, during a campaign at the Butler Farm Show grounds. Crooks took a bullet in Trump’s ear and he was killed by a Secret Service sniper seconds after he opened fire on a nearby rooftop.

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

The charges contain details of “preventable failures” by the Secret Service that allowed the shooting to take place, specifically pointing to the failure to secure the complex’s roof despite warnings that it was vulnerable.

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

“Defendant of the United States of America, later [Secret Service]committed gross negligence and failed to comply with and comply with basic principles, policies and procedures that directly or proximately caused the shooting and/or allowed it to occur,” the charges read.

“The assassination attempt on President Trump’s life was completely preventable and was caused, in whole or in part, by the failure of the USSS in the days leading up to the event as well as on the day of the assassination attempt,” the complaint continued.

In addition to the security failures, the complaints say the Secret Service created an environment where sensitive information could not be shared because it established separate, separate command centers instead of one unified post.

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Former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face as Secret Service agents surround him and remove him from the stage at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024, after gunshots were reported at a rally. (Rebecca Droke/AFP/Getty Images)

Agents also relied on inadequate communication methods, the lawsuits said, such as using cellphones to relay messages between trailers instead of using centralized radio stations, which “severely hindered” the transmission of security information.

Official documents also noted that authorities saw Crooks acting erratically, using a range finder, and were the subject of a search in the hours before the shooting. The Secret Service admitted to this failure, it disputes the charges.

David Dutch leaves Trump rally with visible gunshot wounds. (Beaver County Republican Committee)

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“Sure, it is [Secret Service] acknowledged that its failures included ‘communication breakdowns, technical issues, and people failures’ all of which contributed to the shooting, and that its conduct created ‘a performance failure that will be held up by the Secret Service as a reminder of the critical importance of its failure and the need for continuous improvement,'” they said. and that those individuals were placed on restricted duties and/or moved to non-operational positions.”

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

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