EDITORIAL: Strip suicide was intended to prove a point

The bizarre story of a decorated U.S. special forces member and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck near the Strip on Wednesday morning came into more focus Friday. It appears to have been a suicide premeditated for maximum attention.

Police identified 37-year-old Matthew Alan Livelsberger of Colorado as the man who drove the vehicle, laden with camping fuel and mortar-type fireworks, to the valet area of Trump International off Fashion Show Drive west of the Strip. About 17 seconds after it was parked, the vehicle blew up. Livelsberger, law enforcement officials determined, used a handgun to kill himself inside the truck at about the same time.

Seven people nearby were injured in the blast, none of them seriously, thank goodness.

The timing of the explosion, the location and the vehicle type led to immediate speculation that the perpetrator had a political motive or might have a connection to the terrorist who carried out the deadly New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans. But FBI officials said interviews revealed that Livelsberger “held no animosity” toward Donald Trump. Sheriff Kevin McMahill added Friday, “We don’t find anything to point us in that direction” in terms of the New Orleans rampage.

Instead, the sheriff revealed that Livelsberger, an active U.S. Army master sergeant home from Germany for the holidays, had driven over the course of a few days from Colorado Springs to Southern Nevada in order to kill himself, apparently to make a point. Police said he left behind writings to explain his motivations.

Livelsberger described the United States as the world’s greatest country but called the nation “terminally ill and on the verge of collapse.” His death, he said, “was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?”

And what better place to draw attention to yourself in such a distressing manner than amid the glitz and glamor of the Strip?

His writings, Assistant Metro Sheriff Dori Koren said, also included a “variety of other grievances and issues, some political, some personal.”

At a news conference Friday, an FBI official said, “Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be “a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who is struggling with PTSD and other issues.” Officials added that Livelsberger was a good soldier with no disciplinary or criminal history.

Given his background and training, there’s little doubt that Livelsberger could have wreaked deadly havoc had that been his intention. Las Vegas is also fortunate that he took nobody else with him.

The incident has spawned any manner of social media conspiracy theories, given that it touches on narratives involving terrorism, politics and the military. And there will no doubt be more information trickling out as police move forward on the investigation. At this point, however, attributing Livelsberger’s tragic death to sinister or outside forces does a disservice to the very real challenges that many of our servicemen and women — along with law enforcement personnel and first responders — must endure as part of their everyday service.