The series of coincidences that initially appeared to link the New Year's Day tragedies new Orleans And has overtaken Las Vegas mounting evidence that tesla cybertruck bombing What was actually a private tragedy at the Trump International Hotel was the public display of new information and the interview show.
Decorated U.S. Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger On New Year's Eve Samuel Shumate, a retired Army intelligence officer and military pundit, sent a disjointed email. It outlined a set of complaints and serious warnings relating to his military service, but gave no indication or explanation of his actions.
In a text made public by local authorities, Livelsberger wrote: “I need to clear my mind about the brothers I have lost and free myself of the burden of my life.”
And in an interview Friday, a former girlfriend of Leavelsberger said he told her he suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in the Middle East. Alicia Aritt, who was in a relationship with Livelsberger from 2018 to 2021, told CBS News that she exchanged about 30 messages with Livelsberger in the days before the bombing.
He said he gave no indication that he was planning such a thing take his own life Or blow up the Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.
Aritt said, “He loved the Army and he gave his life and his mind to it.”
Experts told CBS News that Livelsberger may be the latest example of an ongoing concern facing the U.S. military's most elite special operators — an increased risk of brain injury, traumatic stress and mental health struggles.
according to National Center for PTSDResearch conducted on veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan shows that 10% to 18% of those soldiers are likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder and are at risk for other mental health problems. Rates of depression among soldiers returning from overseas are as high as 24%.
The high-risk, high-intensity career has raised concerns for years that prolonged exposure to combat violence could harm Special Forces soldiers.
Leavensberger's father told CBS News that he was at home in Colorado Springs on approved military leave with his wife and 8-month-old child over Christmas before they rented the Cybertruck and began their winding drive toward Las Vegas .
The Pentagon told CBS News that “there were no red flags” before Leavelsberger's departure from Germany, where he was stationed with the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. a cnn report It was said Friday that Livensberger visited military behavioral health services several times.
Review of Livensberger's social media posts, interviews with friends who knew him well, and most tellingly, his emails to Shumate indicated that he may have struggled with those issues. On Friday, Shumate discussed the letter on The Shawn Ryan Show, a podcast where Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor, interviews individuals primarily from the national security field.
In the email obtained by CBS News, Leavensberger cited his ongoing concerns about civilian casualties caused by airstrikes in Afghanistan. The incident he referred to appears to match reports of US airstrikes targeting alleged drug-processing facilities in Afghanistan in May 2019, where more than 30 civilians, including children, were reportedly killed.
CBS could not independently verify the authenticity of the letter.
Investigators said in a briefing Friday that Livelsberger single-handedly planned and prepared the Las Vegas bombing.
On Sunday morning, after officials said he had rented the Cybertruck, Livelsberger sent pictures of the Tesla to Arett and said, “I rented a Tesla Cybertruck. This is bullshit.” He also told CBS News that Livelsberger had sent him playful videos of himself listening to rap on a drive to Las Vegas.
Aritt said the FBI met with him after the explosion. She said they told her that he had been in contact with several other women in the days before the bombing.
Aritt said that Livelsberger had suffered a traumatic brain injury before he met her during a deployment to the Middle East and that he told her it changed his behavior. He said that he does not want to get treated for it.
“He felt that if he sought help it would ruin his career,” he said. “All he wanted to do was get deployed and get back to it.”
He said he suffered from memory problems, including poor concentration, mental weakness and headaches, due to injuries sustained during his service.
Aritt, a registered nurse, said she recognized these as symptoms of TBI because she worked on the wards of service members 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 for it,” she said.
Aritt said he felt guilty for some of his actions during the deployment, expressing concern that his actions may have contributed to the deaths of innocent civilians.
She said that Livelsberger went through a period of separation when they were together. “He would disappear and go cold turkey for a few weeks. He was depressed but he always wanted to overcome depression. He had recognized it and he was working on it. He pushed himself hard to overcome it “
Aritt described Leavelsberger as kind and said she was surprised by his actions.
He said, “I never saw him getting angry or acting impulsively and he was always thoughtful in whatever he did.” “He was always the first one to jump into battle and stand up for someone else.”
Several former colleagues interviewed by CBS News expressed shock and sadness, including Fardeen Fatwat, a former Afghan interpreter who deployed with Leavelsberger. Fatwatt credited Livelsberger with saving his life during the war and later helping him and his family resettle in Colorado, although they were not in touch for several years. Describing Leavelsberger's death, Fatwatt said, “I felt like I had lost not just a colleague, but a brother.”
