US soldier killed in Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion identified: report crime news

Details have begun to emerge about the man killed in the explosion of his Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day.

At a news conference Thursday, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the coroner’s office suggested the man died by suicide before the explosion.

“The man was shot in the head before the vehicle exploded,” McMahill told reporters. They said a handgun was found near the man’s feet.

Earlier in the day, news agencies including The Associated Press and AFP identified the man as an active-duty soldier named Matthew Livesbarger.

Citing unnamed military officials, news outlets reported that Livelsberger was on leave from his post at the United States Army Special Operations Command.

He was a highly decorated Green Beret who had served in a variety of roles with the U.S. Army since 2006, including in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Tajikistan, among other locations.

But on Wednesday, Livelsberger was reportedly found dead inside a burning Tesla Cybertruck on the circular driveway outside the hotel’s glass front doors.

Seven other people were injured when the Cybertruck exploded, and details regarding the circumstances surrounding the explosion remain scarce.

Special Agent Kenny Cooper of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives expressed surprise that a military member was involved in the explosion, which caused little damage except to the Cybertruck.

Kenny Cooper said, “The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from a person with this type of military experience.”

Initial investigations indicate that the Cybertruck was carrying fireworks and camp fuel canisters when it exploded.

The Trump International Hotel Las Vegas is named after President-elect Donald Trump, co-owner of the property, who is scheduled to assume office for a second term in the White House on January 20.

In a brief statement on Thursday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said investigators had searched a home in Colorado in connection with the incident, but did not provide any further details.

“FBI Denver; Denver Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; “And the Colorado Springs Police Department is conducting law enforcement activity at a residential address in Colorado Springs,” the statement said.

“FBI Denver personnel and specialized teams will remain on site for several hours. This activity is related to the explosion that occurred in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The blast came the same day as a deadly car-ramming attack in the southern city of New Orleans that left at least 15 people dead, including the suspect.

At least 35 more people were injured in that attack, according to an official estimate on Thursday. That incident is being investigated as a terrorist attack, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were reportedly found in coolers left on the road at the crime scene.

But officials have refused to link the two incidents.

At a news briefing in New Orleans on Thursday, Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, insisted they had found no connection so far.

“We are keeping an eye on all possible leads and are not ruling out everything,” Raya told reporters. “However, at this point, there is no definite connection between the attack here in New Orleans and the attack in Las Vegas.”

Law enforcement initially believed that the New Orleans attack suspect, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had received assistance from others.

But on Thursday, Raya said authorities now believe Jabbar acted alone. “We are confident at this point that there are no accomplices.”

He said the initial report from associates was likely inspired by witnesses who reported passersby examining two coolers with IEDs without knowing what was inside.

Jabbar was ultimately shot and killed after exiting his vehicle and opening fire on police.

Both the New Orleans car-ramming and the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion involved vehicles that were rented through the car rental app Turo.

Livelsberger and Jabbar were both military veterans, having spent time at Fort Bragg, a North Carolina military installation now known as Fort Liberty.

But an unidentified official told The Associated Press that the two men were not deployed to the base at the same time.