This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Local and federal authorities said back-to-back attacks in Las Vegas and in New Orleans were not connected.

In a press conference Friday afternoon, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill revealed why authorities aren’t considering the attacks connected.

“The simple answer to that is we don’t find anything to actually point us in that direction,” McMahill said. “There are those coincidences that we have spoken very openly about, but we have not found throughout this entire investigation anything that ties the two attacks directly together.”

Online speculation soared after it was revealed Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the New Orleans attack suspect, and the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck, Livelsberger, both spent time at the large military base formerly called Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST, MAN IN LAS VEGAS CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION SHARED MORE LINKS IN ATTACKS JUST HOURS APART

Local and federal enforcement also revealed that the U.S. Army Green Beret wrote it was “time to wake up” in notes penned before his death.

Police officials released sections of Livelsberger’s “manifesto,” and said they would release the full document later.

“This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call” Livelsberger wrote, according to the cropped notes shared by Las Vegas police. “Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?

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“Why did I personally do it now? I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I’ve lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took,” he wrote.

“We are the United States of America, the best country people to ever exist! But right now we are terminally ill and headed towards collapse.”

The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas New Year’s Day was identified as 37-year-old Matthew Alan Livelsberger (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)

Livelsberger likely had PTSD and ongoing family problems that contributed to his actions, sheriff’s officials 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,” McMahill said.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

The Las Vegas chief said this is why authorities are prioritizing the mental health of law enforcement officials and veterans.

“Quite frankly, this is the reason why we started our wellness bureau here at Metro and taking care of the heart, mind, body and soul of the people that are out there doing this work, because they’re exposed to things, they see things, they hear things, they feel things and they smell things that most normal people don’t have to do,” McMahill said. 

“And the heroes that are serving in the military and on the front lines of America’s policing are challenged that way,” he said. “And, so, I think we need to really pay attention to those individuals, pay attention to what mental health in America looks like.”

Livelsberger did not appear to dislike President-elect Trump, local and federal authorities said.

“There’s a variety of different reporting out there,” McMahill said. “Notable on what some of the people around him and what their particular political views were. I think when you read some of these documents, you’ll see that he actually calls it a stunt. 

“In one of these documents that we’re going to release to you … he was trying to get the attention of the American people because he was upset about a number of different things.

“I’m not conclusively telling you anything about his political affiliations at this point, but I think there’s … more to come on that.”

WHO IS MATTHEW LIVELSBERGER? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE TESLA CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION SUSPECT

Police noted Livelsberger was considering other locations, pointing to excerpts from his manifesto.

“I think when you read through some of that, you might find that, you know, there were some other considerations as well for other locations,” McMahill said. “We can’t verify all of that at this point. And, so, that’s why I haven’t talked about that publicly.

“There was one, one location in Grand Canyon that was specifically talked about, but we haven’t been able to verify that.”

The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day was identified as 37-year-old Matthew Alan Livelsberger. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)

Documentation that Matthew Alan Livelsberger was carrying at the time of the Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas Jan. 1, 2025. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot. He noted that the suspect placed gun in his mouth and discharged it

“We know also, as mentioned by the sheriff yesterday, there was a self-inflicted gunshot wound by the suspect,” Koren said. “The coroner was very specific in saying it was an intro orbital gunshot wound, which essentially means that the suspect put the firearm in his mouth and discharged the gun. And, ultimately, the wound came out the left side of his head.”

With the San Francisco Giants’ first pick of the 2017 MLB draft, the club selected Heliot Ramos out of Leadership Christian Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

Ramos would spend the next five years in the franchise’s minor league system, with many outlets ranking the outfielder as a top-100 prospect throughout before making his Major League debut on April 10, 2022. The young star would be optioned and recalled multiple times throughout the year, and see only 22 plate appearances at the MLB level.

After spending time at the Major League level in the first month of 2023, Ramos would once again be optioned to Triple-A, where he would succumb to injury less than three weeks later. A right oblique strain would see the outfielder sidelined for much of the year, again failing to eclipse 100 plate appearances at the top level of the sport, reaching only 65.

2024 would prove to be different. It served as the coming out party for Heliot Ramos. The outfielder was able to prove his ability with enough consistent playing time, hitting .269/.322/.469 with 22 home runs, 72 RBI, and a 125 OPS+ across 518 plate appearances while getting his first nod as a National League All-Star.

Now 25 and with one full year of Major League experience under his belt, Ramos’s production at the plate could take another step forward in the coming year.

Baseball Savant shows that Ramos’s power was not just beginner’s luck, as the analytics have the outfielder in the 85th or better percentiles for each of xSLG (90th percentile), average exit velocity (85th), barrel rate (92nd), hard-hit rate (85th), and bat speed (90th).

While the power is there for Ramos, the outfielder has not shown the best plate discipline, with only 37 walks and a massive 135 strikeouts. His walk rate of 7.1 percent ranks in the 36th percentile while his strikeout rate of 26.1 percent ranks in the 23rd percentile.

Defensively, Ramos played all three outfield positions but saw the majority of his time in center field. It proved to be his worst of the three, however, with -7 Outs Above Average, while he posted positive one Outs Above Average in each of the corner outfield positions.

Ramos has already proven to be a solid cornerstone of the Giants’ offense with what he was able to accomplish at the plate in 2024. The coming campaign should see the outfielder take another step forward in his development, and could even see him cement himself as the key to the team’s success.

With about six weeks to go until position players report for spring training, Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez was back in the Dominican Republic this week, continuing to give back to his hometown of Loma de Cabrera.

Spanish paper “Diario Libre” had the news on his trip, and through the use of Google translate, we have provided some of their information.

“Seattle Mariners standout center fielder Julio Rodríguez, 24, returned to his hometown this Sunday to inaugurate the renovated cultural center and officially present his foundations: Green Hope and No Limits Foundation….

“I want to thank all of you, and this is very special because I know that we are going to impact many lives. I have experienced the need of this town and this is just the beginning. Thank you again, because this is something that, as a child growing here, I never imagined. With the help of God, we will continue to develop the town sportingly, educationally and in everything that can be improved,” Rodríguez expressed in his speech.

Rodriguez also held a baseball and basketball clinic for the kids in town as he continues to do good work throgh his No Limits Foundation.

Back in 2023, Rodriguez donated a new ambulance to his hometown.

You can see pictures from this event here, courtesy of veteran reporter Hector Gomez.

Rodriguez, who just turned 24 years old, is one of the best young players in baseball. Though he had a down year in 2024 by his own lofty standards, he still hit .273 with 20 homers and 68 RBI. He also played excellent defense in center field and stole 24 bases.

The Mariners went 85-77.

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on “X” @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the “Refuse to Lose” podcast by clicking HERE.