LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A police report shows that Manuel Ruiz, the man accused of killing two YouTube content creators on the Las Vegas Strip, had a previous violent encounter with the same victims more than a year earlier on Fremont Street.
Rodney Finley, 44, and Tanisha Finley, 43, were streaming online in front of the Bellagio Fountains on Sunday afternoon when police say Ruiz, 41, pulled out a gun and started shooting. The couple died at the scene.
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According to the police report, the two men had an ongoing feud dating back to Halloween 2023.
"We watch these two guys live all the time, and they happen to always have issues with each other," said a 9-1-1 caller.
"There's been a feud between the two for the longest time," another witness noted.
Channel 13 looked into the October 2023 incident to learn more about what happened. A police report from that night states that Ruiz was at the Fremont Street Experience between Binion's and the Golden Nugget taking part in Halloween festivities when the confrontation occurred.
Ruiz told officers that Tanisha started hitting him with a selfie stick and punched him in the face. He also claimed that Rodney pushed him during the altercation. According to the report, Ruiz told investigators the entire incident was filmed and later uploaded online.
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YouTuber Marquis Wiley spoke to our senior reporter Alyssa Bethencourt earlier this week. He said he followed the victims online and watched the messy dispute unfold.
"It was over views, competing to see who was going to be the biggest creator in Las Vegas," said YouTuber Marquis Wiley, who followed the victims online and watched the dispute unfold.
"What Ruiz did was unethical, it was stupid, they did not deserve to die," Wiley said.
Ruiz is being held without bail and is scheduled to be back in court July 3.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
