Looking back on the 2024 Trump assassination attempt in Butler, read the stories
A year ago on July 13, 2024, a lone gunman fired eight shots into the crowd at the Butler Farm Show grounds attempting to assassinate then-candidate President Donald Trump.
The shooting, which lasted only seconds, claimed the life of Buffalo Township resident and former fire chief Corey Comperatore, left campaign rally spectators James Copenaver and David Dutch critically injured and sent Trump, who suffered a wound to his ear, for treatment at Butler Memorial Hospital.
The gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot and killed.
Butler County found itself thrust into the global spotlight, becoming the focal point of political tension following the event that shook the nation.
Stories reflecting on the assassination attempt will be shared to this page throughout the week and in a special print edition Sunday, July 13, 2025.
Further, the Butler Eagle has detailed its coverage of the July 2024 event and its aftermath in a 56-page book, “Meeting the Moment.” The book is available for $20 by calling 724-431-2200 or visiting the Butler Eagle office at 514 West Wayne St., Butler. A webpage to buy the book is forthcoming.
How Butler County’s 911 dispatchers soldiered through stressful Trump rally
Emergency services dispatchers, the county’s “first first responders” as 911 director Rob McLafferty calls them, leaned into their training on July 13, 2024, to handle all the challenges that arose that infamous day when an assassin struck at President Donald Trump’s pre-election rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Connoquenessing Township.
“Gunshot wound ... gunshots at the Trump rally... gunshots,” one caller said. Her panicked voice came through the phone in fragments.
How Butler Memorial Hospital staff reacted when Trump was brought there for treatment following an assassination attempt
Patients who were brought to the hospital by ambulance for medical issues after Trump arrived were treated in the ambulances outside of the hospital, said Dr. David Rottinghaus, provider network president for Independence Health System.
Butler mayor reflects on aftermath of the Trump shooting
Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy was at dinner with family on July 13, 2024 when he got a call from The New York Times for a statement about the attempted assassination of then presidential candidate Donald Trump.
County commissioners navigate a difficult political landscape to put community need, healing first
Leslie Osche closed out 2024 with a Fleetwood Mac tribute concert at downtown Butler’s Penn Theater and an email raising concern about division in Butler County.
Butler DA reflects on Trump assassination attempt in Butler County
When learning about the shooting at the Butler Farm Show grounds on July 13, 2024, Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger was shocked and concerned.
Corey Comperatore’s family tells of their year of grief
Even a year after the untimely death of her father, Corey Comperatore’s eldest daughter Kaylee Comperatore said life still doesn’t feel real.
For Rico Elmore, Corey Comperatore is the ultimate hero following Trump rally in Butler County
Despite what others say, Rico Elmore doesn’t consider himself a hero.
“I’d like to put it out there in black and white, Rico Elmore is not a hero, Corey Comperatore is a hero,” Elmore said. “Because the ultimate sacrifice one person made to protect their family, on top of being a firefighter, on top of being a husband, a brother — that’s a true hero. I was somebody that happened to be in the area and rendered the aid.”
Firsthand account: Teenager recounts experience attending the Trump rally on July 13, 2024
On July 3, we first were informed about President Trump’s plan to hold a rally at the Butler Farm Show.
My family and I were all so excited to hear the news and reserved our tickets as soon as we could.
Firsthand account: Connoquenessing Township boy recalls experience at July 13, 2024 Trump rally
Wyatt Zang, 14, of Connoquenessing Township, wrote the following essay as a school assignment during the 2024-25 school year.
On the morning of July 13, I had no idea that later that day I would witness history and the whole world would know the name of my hometown of Butler, Pennsylvania.
Rally attack etched Butler County in history
Butler County will forever be linked to the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt of a presidential candidate and tragic attack upon the spectators at a campaign rally.
How history may remember the Butler County assassination attempt directed at Trump
The Butler County Historical Society wants to know: Where were you July 13, 2024?
That day, Butler County was thrust into the world spotlight as a lone gunman attempted to assassinate then candidate President Donald Trump at a rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Connoquenessing Township.
Butler County Trump rally attendees in shock over slack security, poor planning
On July 12, 2024, 16-year-old Sophia Zang walked around the Butler Farm Show grounds with her family to check out the area being prepared for then presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign rally.
Little did Sophia know that the podium would soon become the setting of international news — the very spot where Trump got up after a failed attempt at his life, pumped his fist in the air and shouted “Fight.”
July 13 task force found errors in rally security but many questions still unanswered
The Task Force on The Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump didn’t get the federal cooperation and answers it was looking for through its five-month investigation, but it did uncover key security failures in communication and preparation by the U.S. Secret Service.
‘Some guy came in here and did something real bad’
On July 13, 2024, a legion of Butler County residents, along with visitors from other parts of the U.S. and even the world, came together at the Butler Farm Show Grounds to watch then candidate President Donald Trump speak at a rally, unaware that the event would impact their lives.
How many stayed calm: The unexpected at the rally
“No weapons formed against us will prosper,” Nicole Richards, on the ground and shielded by her father, said those words to her son as the first rounds of gunfire went off during then candidate President Donald Trump’s campaign rally on July 13, 2024.
Marc Fogel’s mother recalls how she spoke with Trump on July 13, asking him to bring her son home from Russia
Malphine Fogel, 95, was always resolute she would see her son return to the United States, and even more so after achieving her goal of speaking with then candidate President Donald Trump at his July 13, 2024, Butler Farm Show rally before he was shot.
2 others injured at July 13 rally
While much attention over the past year has been focused on Corey Comperatore — who was killed last year at the Butler Farm Show grounds during a campaign rally for then-candidate President Donald Trump — he was not the shooting’s only victim.
Thomas Matthew Crooks: How did mental health affect the Trump assassination attempt in Butler County?
A year after an assassination attempt shocked Butler County, the motives of the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, remain largely a mystery.
Echoes of Butler County in White House
What might be one of the most iconic photos of recent times was taken right in the heart of Butler County. Now, there’s a painting of it in the White House.
President Donald Trump replaced Barack Obama’s presidential portrait with a painting by Florida-based artist Marc Lipp in April, according to the Associated Press.
Fox Nation releases exclusive footage in second part of Trump shooting documentary
The second half of a documentary recounting the events of July 13, 2024, at the Butler Farm Show grounds is now available for public viewing.
Fox Nation, the streaming arm of Fox News, released part two of “Butler Under Fire: The Search for Justice” on Thursday, July 10, providing exclusive insight into a tragedy that killed Buffalo Township firefighter Corey Comperatore and nearly took the life of then-candidate President Donald Trump and two others.
