A highly decorated Army soldier, Matthew Livelsberger, 37, shot himself in a Tesla Cybertruck before it blew up outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, saying he wanted to stage a “wake-up call” for the country’s problems. Livelsberger, a Green Beret, left notes saying he needed to “cleanse” his mind of memories of soldiers he had lost and relieve himself of the burden of lives taken during his deployments.
The explosion caused minor injuries to seven people but did not cause significant damage to the hotel, which is owned by the Trump Organization. Authorities said Livelsberger acted alone and did not harbor any ill will towards President-elect Donald Trump, who was not in Las Vegas on the day of the incident.
Livelsberger was a highly decorated soldier with five Bronze Stars, a combat infantry badge, and an Army Commendation Medal with valor. He served in the Army since 2006, deploying twice to Afghanistan, and also served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and the Congo.
According to his notes, Livelsberger was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and was haunted by the memories of his deployment. He wrote about the U.S. being “terminally ill and headed towards collapse” and said he wanted to use the stunt to grab people’s attention.
The FBI is still investigating the incident, analyzing thousands of videos, photos, and documents from the Tesla’s onboard computer system, and working to determine if Livelsberger intended to make a political statement with the use of the Trump hotel.
