The man who fatally shot a rival YouTuber and his wife handed himself in to authorities on Monday morning. Manuel “Manny” Ruiz claims that he was acting in self-defense when he opened fire in front of the Bellagio Fountains on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday night. The incident was caught on the victim’s livestream for his YouTube channel ‘Finny Da Legend.’
Ruiz, whose channel name is ‘Sin City Manny,’ had a long-running beef with the victim Rodney Finley dating back to 2023 when Ruiz allegedly pepper-sprayed Tanisha Finley. On Saturday, he posted two videos driving around the city looking for the couple, challenging them to show up and miming a gunshot with his fingers.
claiming to have seen Finley reach into his waistband and say “What up, cuz?”
Ruiz is now saying he feared for his life when he met them on Sunday night, claiming to have seen Finley reach into his waistband and say “What up, cuz?” After shooting Rodney in the head, he thought he saw a gun in his wife’s hand, which is why he proceeded to shoot her. Law enforcement didn’t find any firearms at the scene.
The 41-year-old fled initially, getting rid of his shirt, hat, and gun before hopping into a ride-share vehicle. He got out on the other end of the Strip outside the New York-New York as he had insufficient funds to pay for the trip. Ruiz went to a friend’s house who convinced him to turn himself in to the police.
The judge in the case denied the bail request, with the next hearing taking place on Thursday.
