One of the two men wounded during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump spoke out for the first time Wednesday.
David Dutch, a 57-year-old Marine veteran, was critically wounded when Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired several shots at Trump during a campaign rally July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Two of the bullets struck Dutch as he was standing in the bleachers behind the podium while Trump spoke. Crooks also wounded James Copenhaver, 74, and killed volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50.
Dutch was shot once in the liver and once in the chest.
"David, his wife, Sheree, and the rest of the Dutch family wish to express their sincerest gratitude for the enormous level of support that they have received from their friends, their fellow Americans, and everyone else, whether domestic or abroad, that have kept David and his family in their prayers," the Dutch family said in a statement released through his attorneys and first obtained by Fox News.
Dutch thanked medical professionals and first responders for saving his life. He arrived at the hospital in critical condition and was placed in a medically induced coma, undergoing multiple surgeries.
"The brave men and women that saved his life, including, but not limited to, the police officers, the medics, the life flight crew, and the medical professionals of Allegheny General Hospital, as well as those who continue to care for him as he navigates the road to recovery, " his statement read.
Dutch concluded by acknowledging Comperatore and asking for privacy.
"David and his family wish to express their thoughts and prayers for the family of Corey Comperatore, who died a hero while shielding his wife and daughters from oncoming gunfire at the rally," the statement said.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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