Investigators said the deceased suspect in the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion was suffering from PTSD and left behind notes in his phone detailing his motive for the attack during a Friday news conference.
Matthew Livelsberger’s body was recovered from inside the destroyed vehicle alongside camp fuel canisters and firework mortars. The authorities said Livelsberger was a highly decorated Army soldier who was on approved leave at the time of the explosion.
“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," Spencer Evans, the Special Agent in Charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Las Vegas Division, told reporters.
During the briefing, law enforcement shared copies of notes found in an app on Livelsberger’s phone where he journaled. They found descriptions of the pre-planned incident which he labeled as a “wake-up call.”
“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,” Liveslberger wrote.
“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence,” he added.
Livelsberger shot himself in the head before the explosion to “cleanse” himself of past burdens.
“What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives? Why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I've lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took."
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Chief said the incident which injured seven people was a result of a mental health crisis.
“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,” Kevin McMahill said.
“And the heroes that are serving in the military and on the front lines of America's policing, are challenged that way. And so I think we need to really pay attention to those individuals, pay attention to what mental health in America looks like.”
