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According to a U.S. Army spokesperson, the individual who detonated a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day did not exhibit any troubling behavior when he was granted personal leave from his post in Germany.
Brig. Gen. Amanda Azubuike, the Chief of Public Affairs, stated to Fox News, “Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger utilized the POTFF [Preservation of the Force and Family] program and did not demonstrate any concerning behaviors at that time, which led to him being approved for personal leave.” Azubuike added, “All pertinent records were shared with the FBI, the primary investigative entity.”
The newest information that the 37-year-old Army Green Beret did not display “concerning behavior” came after the FBI and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) revealed that Livelsberger likely suffered from PTSD.
“Quite frankly, this is the reason why we started our wellness bureau here at Metro and taking care of the heart, mind, body and soul of the people that are out there doing this work, because 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,” McMahill said.Â
“And the heroes that are serving in the military and on the front lines of America’s policing are challenged that way,” he said. “And, so, I think we need to really pay attention to those individuals, pay attention to what mental health in America looks like.”
Police officials on Friday also released sections of Livelsberger’s “manifesto.”
“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call” Livelsberger wrote, according to the cropped notes shared by Las Vegas police. “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 needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took,” 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 towards collapse.”
LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot. He noted that the suspect placed a gun in his mouth and discharged it.
“We know also, as mentioned by the sheriff yesterday, there was a self-inflicted gunshot wound by the suspect,” Koren said. “The coroner was very specific in saying it was an intro orbital gunshot wound, which essentially means that the suspect put the firearm in his mouth and discharged the gun. And, ultimately, the wound came out the left side of his head.”