The series of coincidences that initially seemed to link the New Year’s tragedies in New Orleans and Las Vegas were overtaken by growing evidence than the Tesla Cybertruck attack at the Trump International Hotel, there was actually a public exposure of a private tragedy, new information and interviews.
Master Sgt. decorated US Army Special Forces. Matthew Livelsberger sent a rambling email on New Year’s Eve morning to Samuel Shoemate, a retired Army intelligence officer and military expert. It described a constellation of grievances and dire warnings related to his military service, but gave no hint or explanation for his actions.
In a text released by local authorities, Livelsberger wrote: “I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took. »
And in an interview Friday, a former girlfriend of Livelsberger said he told her he suffered a head trauma while serving in the Middle East. Alicia Arritt, who was in an on-off relationship with Livelsberger from 2018 to 2021, told CBS News that she exchanged about 30 text messages with Livelsberger in the days leading up to the bombing.
She said he had given no indication that he intended to suicide or blowing up a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.
“He loved the military and he gave his life and his spirit to it,” Arritt said.
Experts told CBS News that Livelsberger may be the latest illustration of an ongoing concern facing the U.S. military’s most elite special operators: the increased risk of brain injuries, traumatic stress and problems mental health.
According to the National Center for PTSDResearch on veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suggests that 10 to 18 percent of these soldiers are likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and be at risk of other mental health problems. Depression rates among troops returning from overseas can be as high as 24%.
This high-risk, high-intensity career has for years raised concerns about the detrimental consequences of prolonged exposure to combat violence for special forces soldiers.
Livensberger’s father told CBS News that he was at home in Colorado Springs with his wife and 8-month-old child over Christmas, on approved military leave, before renting the Cybertruck and beginning his winding drive to Las Vegas.
The Pentagon told CBS News there “were no warning signs” before Livelsberger left Germany, where he was stationed with the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. A CNN report On Friday, Livensbeger said he visited military behavioral health services several times.
A review of Livensberger’s social media posts, interviews with friends who knew him well, and, most importantly, his email to Shoemate, provided some indication that he may have been struggling with these issues. On Friday, Shoemate discussed the letter on The Shawn Ryan Show, a podcast in which Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor, interviews people primarily from the national security field.
In the email obtained by CBS News, Livensberger referenced his ongoing concerns about civilian casualties caused by an airstrike in Afghanistan. The incident he mentioned appears to match reports of U.S. airstrikes in May 2019 targeting suspected drug processing facilities in Afghanistan, where more than 30 civilians, including children, were reported killed.
CBS could not independently verify the authenticity of the letter.
Investigators said at a news briefing Friday that Livelsberger planned and prepared the Las Vegas bombing alone.
On Sunday morning, the day after authorities said he rented the Cybertruck, Livelsberger sent Arritt photos of the Tesla and said, “I rented a Tesla Cybertruck. It’s crap. ” She also told CBS News that Livelsberger sent her playful videos of himself listening to rap during the ride to Las Vegas.
Arritt said the FBI visited him after the explosion. She said she was told he had been in contact with several other women in the days before the attack.
Arritt said Livelsberger suffered a head injury before meeting him while he was deployed to the Middle East and he told him it caused a change in his behavior. He said he didn’t want to get treatment for it.
“He thought it would ruin his career if he sought help,” she said. “All he wanted to do was deploy and get back to it.”
He suffered numerous memory problems due to the injuries he suffered while serving, including a lack of concentration, brain fog and headaches, she said.
Arritt, a registered nurse, said she recognized these symptoms as head trauma because she worked on wards for military personnel with brain injuries and amputations at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center from 2008 to 2009.
“I understood him, even though he didn’t know the words,” she said.
Arritt said he felt guilty about some of his actions during his deployment, expressing concern that his actions may have contributed to the deaths of innocent civilians.
She said Livelsberger went through periods of isolation while they were together. “He would disappear and go cold for a few weeks. He was depressed but he still wanted to get out of it. He recognized it and he worked on it. He worked to get out of it.”
Arritt described Livelsberger as kind and said she was shocked by his actions.
“I never saw him angry or acting impulsively and he was always thoughtful in the things he did,” she said. “He was always the first person to jump into battle and defend someone else.”
Many former colleagues interviewed by CBS News expressed shock and sadness, including Fardin Fetwat, a former Afghan interpreter deployed alongside Livelsberger. Fetwat credited Livelsberger with saving his life during combat and later helping him and his family resettle in Colorado, although they had not been in contact for several years . Describing Livelsberger’s death, Fetwat said it was like losing a brother, not just a colleague.
