LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Almost a week after the event, we are continuing to learn more about the Tesla Cybertruck explosion in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas and the man behind it.
Las Vegas Metro police and federal partners held a press conference on the latest information they have on the investigation.
WATCH: Full press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025
LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill said they have recovered a six-page document on Livelsberger's phone that he describes as a "manifesto."
This is in addition to two letters that investigators recovered last week from Livelsberger's phone. The FBI has now confirmed that a letter sent to the Shawn Ryan Show podcast was written by Livelsberger.
McMahill said LVMPD is still reviewing the manifesto with federal partners and noted that some of the material may be classified, so they will not release the full document yet — only excerpts.
Within the documents, McMahill said Livelsberger believed he was being followed by the government all the way from Colorado.
"I want to make it clear that our suspect in this case has never had a criminal history nor was he on the radar of the FBI or the LVMPD prior to this bombing," McMahill said.
He used AI to plan his attack
It’s become clear to investigators that the generative AI platform ChatGPT was used to plan the attack, Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said.
He showed a slew of prompts Livelsberger gave the AI through the course of his planning, including things like the amount of explosives he would need, where to buy fireworks and how much to buy, and how fireworks compare to TNT and other explosives.
In another set of questions, Livelsberger asked the AI whether the velocity of a bullet would be enough to ignite the explosives. He also probed the AI on how to buy a firearm without providing any person identifying information, Koren said.
Questions were raised about whether or not Livelsberger's prompts to ChatGPT could have been flagged by an agency based on searches. McMahill said he does not believe that capability exists.
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A spokesperson from OpenAI, the creators of the ChatGPT, released this statement following the press conference:
"We are saddened by this incident and committed to seeing AI tools used responsibly. Our models are designed to refuse harmful instructions and minimize harmful content. In this case, ChatGPT responded with information already publicly available on the internet and provided warnings against harmful or illegal activities. We're working with law enforcement to support their investigation."
Video evidence of Livelsberger staging his attack
Metro showed video of Livelsberger pouring racing fuel in the back of his Cybertruck where investigators said there was more than 60 pounds of explosive material.
The video shows the fuel leaking from the truck, all the way from the parking lot where he poured it to the Trump Hotel valet.
Koren said Livelsberger's hands were on the steering wheel when he entered the valet area, providing that as further evidence the truck was not in self-driving mode.
A frame-by-frame analysis of the video shows the racing fuel ignited first.
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Physical evidence recovered
Investigators said they found three .50 caliber cart casings that were consistent with the ballistic evidence that Livelsberger used a firearm to commit suicide directly prior to the explosion.
"Our lab did do some tests and did confirm the presence of ammonium nitrate and aluminum," Koren said. "Financial records, his journal entries, a variety of other things confirm he purchased what he believed was Tannerite but it was a different form of exploding targets that has ammonium nitrate and aluminum in it, which is one type of explosives that he had."
Digital forensics
Evidence recovered on one of Livelsberger's phones revealed he initially planned to carry out his bombing at the glass skywalk of the Grand Canyon. Investigators do not know why he changed his mind to come to Las Vegas, or why he chose the Trump hotel specifically.
Livelsberger's note titled "surveillance log" — which Metro describe more as a journal of actives — show a timeline of his trip from Colorado to Las Vegas.
- Dec. 27 purchased firearms (Desert Eagle and AR pistol)
- Dec. 28 picked up the Cybertruck and purchased the exploding targets
- Dec. 29 purchasing camping gear and "white gas, which we believe is the fuel"
- Dec. 31 "he talks about reaching a decision point and he talks about committing to the Grand Canyon, that he plans to conduct surveillance at the glass walkway and identifying a launch route."
McMahill said investigators are still trying to access another recovered phone and laptop.
Digital forensics from the Tesla haven’t revealed much more than what investigators previously uncovered. A damaged USB drive was pulled from the truck and contained partial videos like the ones investigators showed last week.
Tesla helped police recover a proprietary SDMI chip which Koren said contained only mechanical data. They also recovered crash data that wasn’t helpful because the explosion didn’t trigger a crash, Koren said.
Koren also addressed concerns that investigators haven’t recovered video from inside the truck’s cabin.
He explained that, according to Tesla, the in-cabin video would only record if the truck was in full self-driving mode, and it does not save the data.
Livelsberger's manifesto
Police said the six-page “manifesto” recovered from Livelsberger’s phone outlines a litany of political, social and cultural grievances and shows a “constant evolution” of his plans.
“He also says he has graphic encounters from his military experience that replay in his head over and over and that now he feels like he’s a shell of a human being with nothing to live for," Koren said.
Koren noted Livelsberger talked about his intent to “make this as public as possible” but expressed fear of being labeled a terrorist.
He wrote that “he had no intent on killing anyone besides himself,” Koren said.
Livelsberger was the only person killed in the blast, though seven bystanders were injured. At last check, McMahill said all injured parties had been released from the hospital.
Investigators also noted Livelsberger mentioned “being super high on weed and drinking,” which they are still working to confirm.
ATF breaks down the explosion
The ATF’s analysis has revealed, at minimum, 60.2 pounds of explosive weight was detonated in the vehicle.
As to how that detonation occurred — that’s still a focus of their investigation, said Kenny Cooper, assistant special agent in charge of the bureau’s San Francisco Field Division.
“The initiating flame to these explosives could have been from several possible sources and cannot be confirmed or eliminated at this point in the investigation,” Cooper said.
Cooper laid out the number of ways the explosives could have been ignited. Muzzle flash may have been enough to do it, or Livelsberger could have lit a flame before firing his gun. There’s also the matter of a “hobby fuse” strung from the front of the car to the back.
Cooper said they’re not ruling out the possibility that an electrical short in the Tesla could’ve been the source of the ignition. He also pointed out some evidence that may contradict Livelsberger’s claim that he only wanted to hurt himself.
Investigators found evidence of 75 pounds of purchased birdshot were part of the materials in the truck, which Cooper said indicates as “an attempt to weaponize the device over and above the explosive and incendiary effects.”
“So we do know, as a matter of fact, that the result of this explosion could be much greater,” Cooper said.
