A laptop, cellphone and watch are still being examined nearly a week after Matthew Livelsberger, 37, fatally shot himself just before the truck exploded.
An investigation into Livelsberger’s searches via ChatGPT indicates he was looking for information about explosive targets, how fast certain rounds would travel and whether fireworks were legal in Arizona.
Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, called the use of generative AI a “game changer” and said the department shares information with other law enforcement agencies.
He said that “this is the first incident that I am aware of on US soil where ChatGPT is being used to help someone build a particular device,” adding that it is “a worrying moment.”
During a roughly half-hour news conference, Las Vegas police and federal law enforcement officials released new details about the New Year’s Day explosion.
Among the details revealed by law enforcement: Livelsberger stopped during the drive to Las Vegas to pour racing fuel into the Cybertruck, which then leaked the substance. The vehicle was loaded with 60 pounds of pyrotechnic material, and officials still don’t know exactly what triggered the explosion, but said it could have been the spark from the gun Livelsberger used to kill himself.
Livelsberger, an Army Green Beret who was deployed twice to Afghanistan and lived in Colorado Springs, Colo., left notes saying the explosion was a set-up intended to be a “signal of alarm” for the nation’s problems, officials said last week.
He left notes on his cell phone saying he needed to “cleanse” his mind “of the brothers I have lost and to relieve myself of the burden of the lives I have taken.” The explosion left seven people lightly injured, but barely damaged the Trump International Hotel. Authorities said Livelsberger acted alone.
Livelsberger’s letters discussed political grievances, societal issues, and national and international issues, including the war in Ukraine. He wrote that the United States was “terminally ill and heading toward collapse.”
Investigators were trying to determine whether Livelsberger wanted to send a political message, given that the Tesla and hotel were named after the president-elect.
Livelsberger had no ill will toward President-elect Donald Trump, law enforcement officials said. In one of the notes he left, he said the country needed to “rally around” him and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
