Married couple shot dead on Strip remembered in vigil; suspect claims self-defense
The suspect in a shooting that killed two people in front of the Bellagio on Sunday night told police he acted in self-defense even though authorities said he fled after the slayings, and no guns were found at the scene.
Manuel Ruiz, 41, faces two counts of open murder with a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting, which was livestreamed. Ruiz turned himself in to Henderson police Monday.
On Tuesday, the Clark County coroner’s office identified the victims as 44-year-old Rodney Finley and 43-year-old Tanisha Finley.
Rodney Finley died of multiple gunshot wounds, and Tanisha Finley died of two gunshot wounds to the head, the coroner’s office said.
On Tuesday night, close to two dozen people attended a vigil for the Finleys on the Strip sidewalk near where the couple was killed, in front of the Fountains of Bellagio. Friend Marc Sanson, a Las Vegas live streamer, confirmed that Rodney and Tanisha were married.
Joe Ruiz, another live streamer from Las Vegas, said he was initially planning to meet Rodney Finley on Sunday night.
“Me and my wife were at home watching the live (stream), and we saw it,” said Ruiz, who is of no relation to Manuel Ruiz. “We were in shock.”
Ruiz had harsh words for Manny Ruiz.
“Manny is a hater,” Ruiz said. “He would say we’re all the haters, but he’s the hater. Manny wanted to be the king of streamers. He didn’t want to share Vegas with anyone.”
‘Ongoing social media feud’
Ruiz and one of the victims had an ongoing social media feud since October 2023, according to an arrest report. In an interview with detectives, Ruiz described the series of disputes as a “rivalry,” the report said.
Ruiz made a brief court appearance Tuesday morning. Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Suzan Baucum said she found probable cause for Ruiz’s arrest and ordered him held without bail for the time being.
Video of the shooting, apparently livestreamed by the Finleys moments before their deaths, circulated on social media. The recording showed a woman confronting a man on the sidewalk near the Fountains of Bellagio. The shooter pulled out a handgun and fired at someone off-screen as the shocked woman screamed and multiple gunshots rang out.
The report stated that Ruiz was with his wife, Juliana Pimentel, during the shooting, and they also had filmed the Strip minutes before the confrontation.
Ruiz declined a request for an interview at the Clark County Detention Center.
Archie Coronado, identified by police as a witness who had been watching Finley’s livestream, said Ruiz had threatened him and Rodney Finley in the past by making finger gun gestures while saying “pow, pow, pow.”
Coronado also said he did not see Rodney or Tanisha Finley with a weapon during their livestream and “has not known them to carry weapons in the past.”
The report stated that “while detectives were processing the scene, no firearms were ever located near the victims, and no weapons were seen in any of the videos posted online.”
After the shooting, Pimentel approached nearby patrol officers and told them her husband, who had immediately fled the scene, had “just shot someone.” Discussing the feud, she also said her family had received verbal threats and insults on YouTube and in the mail.
In a phone interview, Coronado said that he had been a follower of Ruiz’s channel before a falling-out with him.
Finley and Ruiz criticized each other, Coronado said, and the attacks upset Ruiz.
“He just couldn’t take the negativity and I guess he was just getting angrier and angrier and angrier,” Coronado said.
Self-defense claim
When Ruiz later turned himself in, he told police that he shot at the couple in self-defense, adding that Tanisha Finley began dancing in his face while he was walking down the street. At the same time, Rodney Finley reached for his waistband and asked, “What’s up, cuz?” according to Ruiz’s story to the police.
“He insisted that he did not know Finny and his girl were livestreaming from that location,” the report read. “He denied ever making threats towards Finny.”
Running from the area, Ruiz discarded his bloody shirt, hat and firearm — a 9 mm Springfield XDM handgun — in the Paris Las Vegas valet area before hailing a ride there, police said. Ruiz said he went to the home of a friend who encouraged him to turn himself in.
During the interview, detectives also showed Ruiz the video of the shooting.
“The video clearly showed Manny advancing toward Finny while shooting,” police said in the report. “Manny became frustrated and asked to speak with an attorney.”
The report indicated Ruiz and Rodney Finley had a previous altercation, on Fremont Street, which led to Ruiz receiving a battery citation. Police said Ruiz had a Thursday court date on the citation.
The battery case did not appear in Las Vegas Justice Court records and a city of Las Vegas spokesperson said Las Vegas Municipal Court also had no record of it.
GoFundMe created for the victims
Several curious people who watched the YouTube channels of Ruiz, Rodney Finley or both showed up at court to see Ruiz’s hearing.
Marquise Wiley, a fellow YouTuber, said content creators on the platform fight over viewership.
Finley and Ruiz had a “childish” dispute and were “competing, who’s going to be the biggest YouTube creator in Las Vegas, who’s going to have all the clout,” he said.
“What Ruiz did was unethical, it was stupid and he deserves to be in prison for the rest of the life,” Wiley told reporters. “Those victims did not deserve to be killed.”
A memorial service for the Finleys is scheduled for June 21, according to a GoFundMe online fundraiser that had raised nearly $5,400 of its stated $26,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon.
The fundraiser said the Finleys had four kids and that the fundraiser will help cover funeral costs.
“Their untimely deaths have left the family in deep mourning,” wrote organizer Jay Manning, who said he was the brother of Tanisha Finley. “While the pain of their loss is immeasurable, the generosity of others provides a great relief to lay them to rest.”
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X. Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com. Staff writers Bryan Horwath and Casey Harrison contributed to this report.
