Colorado soldier behind Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion described 'wake up call' in writings, police say

Katie Langford, The Denver Post on Jan 3, 2025

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The Colorado soldier who died by suicide as he blew up a Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel wrote a “manifesto” calling on Americans to “wake up,” likely had PTSD and held no animosity toward Trump, local and federal law enforcement said Friday.

Las Vegas police and federal officials released new details about Colorado Springs resident and Army Green Beret Matthew Livelsberger, confirming that he acted alone and wasn’t tied to any terrorist groups and doubling down that he was not connected to a Wednesday terrorist attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people in addition to the attacker.

Police officials referred to widespread speculation and information shared in podcasts during the Friday news conference, and proceeded to detail how they identified Livelsberger as the suspect and released sections of his “manifesto.”

One of the writings was shared on an episode of “The Shawn Ryan Show Podcast” on Friday and investigators feel confident it was penned by Livelsberger but have not fully verified it, said Spencer Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas field division.

Las Vegas police shared several excerpts of Livelsberger’s writings recovered from one of his cellphones, which call on Americans and military service members to “wake up” and see they are being led by “weak and feckless leadership.”

Livelsberger, a master sergeant, later called the explosion a “stunt” used to get the country’s attention and talked about needing to cleanse his mind “of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said investigators would soon release Livelsberger’s writings to the public, but the documents were not immediately available Friday afternoon.

Livelsberger likely had post-traumatic stress disorder and ongoing family problems that contributed to his actions, law enforcement officials said Friday.

Pentagon officials declined to say whether Livelsberger may have been suffering from mental health issues but told The Associated Press on Friday they have turned over his medical records to police.

“Although this incident is more public and 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, of the FBI, said.

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