Details have begun to emerge about the man who was killed explosion a 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 had determined that a person died by suicide before the explosion.
“The man was shot in the head before the car was blown up,” McMahill told reporters. He added that he found a handgun at the man's feet.
Earlier, news organizations including The Associated Press and AFP identified the man as active duty soldier Matthew Livelsberger.
Citing unnamed military officials, the press release said Livelsberger was on leave from his post with the United States Army Special Operations Command.
He was a highly decorated Green Beret who served in various roles with the US military since 2006, with stints in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Tajikistan, among other areas.
But on Wednesday, Livelsberger was reportedly found dead inside a burning Tesla Cybertruck on the sidewalk outside the hotel's glass doors.
Seven other people were injured when the Cybertruck exploded, and details are still missing about what happened.
Kenny Cooper, a special agent at the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said he was surprised that a soldier was involved in the explosion, which did little damage except for the Cybertruck.
“The level of difficulty is not what we would expect from someone with this fighting skill,” Kenny Cooper said.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the Cybertruck was carrying fire extinguishers and a camping oil burner when it exploded.
The Trump International Hotel Las Vegas has been chosen for President-elect Donald Trump, the owner of the resort who is expected to take the second term in the White House on January 20.
In short words 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 further details.
“The FBI Denver; the Denver Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Colorado Springs Police Department are conducting security operations at the Colorado Springs address,” the statement read.
“Employees of the FBI in Denver and special forces will be on the scene for several hours. This is related to the explosion in Las Vegas on Wednesday.”
The explosion happened on the same day as the fatal one vandalism in the city of New Orleans that killed at least 15 people, including the suspect.
At least 35 people were injured in the attack, according to a government statement on Thursday. The incident is being investigated as a terrorist incident, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were found in coolers left on the street where the terrorists were.
But the authorities have stopped linking the two events.
At a news conference in New Orleans on Thursday, Christopher Raia, deputy director of the FBI's antiterrorism division, confirmed that he had not found any contact so far.
“We are following all possible causes and we are not ruling anything out,” Raia told reporters. “However, at this time, there is no definite connection between the attacks here in New Orleans and in Las Vegas.”
Law enforcement initially believed that the suspect in New Orleans attackShamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, received help from others.
But on Thursday, Raia said officials believe Jabbar acted alone. “We are confident at this point that no one is involved.”
He added that initial reports by those involved may have been fueled by witnesses who said that passers-by had inspected the two IEDs and IEDs, not knowing what was inside.
President-elect Joe Biden echoed Raia's comments at a White House event later in the day, saying Jabbar appeared to be a lone wolf.
“We are continuing to investigate whether there is any connection between the attack in New Orleans and the explosion in Las Vegas,” Biden said. “So far, I've only been told that they haven't found any evidence related to this.”
Jabbar was shot and killed after getting out of his car and firing at police.
Biden said he asked his team to “expedite” the investigation into what happened on New Year's Day.
The car bombing in New Orleans and the Cybertruck bombing in Las Vegas affected vehicles rented through the Turo car rental program.
Livelsberger and Jabbar were also former soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg, the North Carolina military base now known as Fort Liberty.
But an unnamed official told The Associated Press that the two men did not stand on the ground at the same time.