A decorated Army veteran inside a Tesla Cybertruck shot himself in the head moments before the vehicle exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel, authorities said Thursday. The explosion caused limited damage due to the steel-sided truck’s design but raised questions about potential motives and military ties.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said a handgun was found near the driver’s seat of the vehicle, believed to belong to Matthew Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado. Officials said the gunshot appeared to be self-inflicted.
The explosion “vented out and up” and did not damage the Trump International Hotel, located just a few feet away, McMahill said during a press conference.
“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from someone with this type of military experience,” said Kenny Cooper, a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Authorities recovered several items from the charred vehicle, including a second firearm, fireworks, a passport, a military ID, credit cards, an iPhone, and a smartwatch. Both firearms were legally purchased, officials confirmed.
Although Livelsberger’s remains have not been definitively identified, investigators noted that IDs and tattoos found on the body strongly suggest it is him, McMahill said.
Livelsberger, a Green Beret, served in the U.S. Army since 2006 and was highly trained in counterterrorism operations and military advising. According to an Army statement, he completed deployments to Afghanistan, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo. He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one for valor under fire, a combat infantry badge, and an Army Commendation Medal for bravery. Livelsberger was on approved leave at the time of his death.
The rented Tesla Cybertruck was traced using charging station data and surveillance footage. McMahill displayed a timeline showing the truck’s journey through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada before arriving in Las Vegas early Wednesday morning.
The FBI is investigating the incident, conducting searches at a home in Colorado Springs connected to the case. Officials said the explosion is not currently being treated as a terrorist attack.
This incident occurred hours after a separate attack in New Orleans, where a truck driver killed 15 people in a crowd before being fatally shot by police. Authorities initially suspected a connection between the two events but later ruled it out.
Seven bystanders sustained minor injuries in the Las Vegas explosion. Tesla CEO Elon Musk addressed the incident on social media, confirming that the Cybertruck’s telemetry data showed no issues with the vehicle itself.
Trump and Musk were not in Las Vegas at the time of the explosion. Both had attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve party in Florida days earlier.
