2 men who were wounded when a gunman opened fire on Trump at rally say Secret Service failed them

“It was like getting hit with a sledgehammer right in the chest,” Dutch said, adding that he could see chunks of the bleacher and metal “flying all around” until the shooting stopped.Copenhaver said he didn’t realize what was happening until he saw part of his sleeve get blown away.

“I turned around to my friend, and I said, ‘I think I was shot,’ and that’s when I got the second one and then I went down,” he said, adding that he had collapsed onto the bleachers and couldn’t stand up.

Dutch and Copenhaver said the shooting has left them with ongoing health problems.

Copenhaver said he has lost 30 pounds and now has to walk with a cane. He still gets pain in his abdomen from time to time.

Dutch said he still needs help tending to his bullet wound. He lost 25 pounds and can’t drive or lift more than 10 pounds, he said. 

“I never thought I’d be in this position,” he said. “I was usually the other guy helping other people out.”

“It’s a struggle every day,” Dutch said.