Colorado Springs Green Beret intended Las Vegas explosion as “wake-up call” for country, police say – The Colorado Sun

The Colorado Sun
Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state. Editor’s Picks: Denver to Pueblo in 11 minutes? | Rebuilding the National Ski Patrol | Where will wild horses go?A Colorado Springs Green Beret who was found dead inside a Tesla Cybertruck after it exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas wanted the blast to serve as a “wake-up call” for the country, according to notes police retrieved from his cellphone. Matthew Livelsberger, 37, wrote several “letters,” including one addressed to fellow service members, veterans and Americans, that expressed his grievances about the direction America is headed, Las Vegas police said Friday during a news conference, shedding light on a possible motive for the New Year’s Day explosion that also injured seven people.In one letter, read by Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan police, Livelsberger wrote: “Fellow service members, veterans and all Americans, time to wake up, we are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves.”In another note, he wrote: “We are the United States of America, the best country people to ever exist. But right now we are terminally ill and headed toward collapse.” “This was not a terrorist attack. It was a wake up call,” Livelsberger’s note continued. “Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives? Why did I personally do it now? I need to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost, and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”Investigators continue to collect evidence to determine his motivation, but they do not believe it was a terrorist attack, said Spencer Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas Division. Officials determined Livelsberger died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that the Tesla detonated at the same time.“Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide, involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who is struggling with PTSD and other issues,” Evans said. Livelsberger, who was a master sergeant, was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and on approved leave at the time of his death, an Army spokesperson said. He had been awarded a Bronze Star Medal with Valor, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor and three Army Commendation Medals.Livelsberger’s actions brought attention to the impacts of PTSD on military members, Sheriff Kevin McMahill said.“What you can tell by looking at this is that PTSD from a highly decorated United States currently serving military individual — from what I’m told was five tours of combat,” McMahill said.“They’re exposed to things, they see things, they hear things, they feel things, and they smell things that most normal people don’t have to do. And the heroes that are serving in the military and on the front lines of America’s policing are challenged that way.”Before the explosion, Livelsberger was not on the FBI’s radar and he did not have a criminal history, Evans said. Authorities are still gathering evidence to better understand his political affiliation and views. “I’m not conclusively telling you anything about his political affiliations at this point, but I think that there’s more to come on that,” McMahill said. Kenny Cooper, an assistant special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Friday there is still no evidence that the explosion in Las Vegas and the New Orleans attack, where a man drove a pickup into a crowd and killed 14 New Year’s Day revelers, were connected. The similarities between the incidents, including both men renting cars through the service, Turo, and serving in the military, were coincidental, Cooper said.Investigators used data from Tesla charging stations, surveillance footage, credit card transactions, and phone records to track and verify Livelsberger’s drive from Colorado to Las Vegas, officials said. Officials said the Cybertruck was rented in Denver using a peer-to-peer service on Dec. 28. They tracked it through charging stations to Monument on Dec. 30, Trinidad on Dec. 31 as well as three places that day in Las Vegas, Albuquerque and Gallup, New Mexico. It was then charged at three places in Arizona on New Year’s Day before going to Las Vegas.Police confirmed with Tesla that the Cybertruck was not in self-driving mode during the explosion.Inside the Tesla, buried in debris, authorities found Livelsberger’s wallet, which contained credit cards and a military ID that were used to identify him. Dental records and DNA samples from his family were also used. Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Olivia Prentzel covers breaking news and a wide range of other important issues impacting Coloradans for The Colorado Sun, where she has been a staff writer since 2021. At The Sun, she has covered wildfires, criminal justice, the environment,…
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Source: http://coloradosun.com/2025/01/03/colorado-springs-soldier-cybertruck-explosion-wake-up-call/