The Las Vegas Strip sparkled like always on Sunday night, June 8, 2025. Tourists gathered outside the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, snapping selfies against the famous fountains. Laughter mixed with the hum of slot machines as another weekend neared its end. But at 10:40 p.m., that shimmer shattered. Gunshots rang out seven of them. Screams erupted. Phones fell. A police officer shoved through the chaos and grabbed a still-streaming camera. In a flash, glitz turned to horror.
YouTuber Finny Da Legend, known off-screen as Jerome, and his wife Bubbly were gunned down in front of fans during a livestream. The incident, captured on video before it was scrubbed from the web, marked the deadly climax of a bitter feud between two Las Vegas content creators a story familiar to anyone following the messy world of online drama.
Jerome, aka Finny Da Legend, wasn’t a mega-influencer. His channel hovered between 3,400 and 4,000 subscribers, but he and Bubbly had built a loyal following. They filmed their vibrant life in Vegas, posting lighthearted vlogs that fans described as “genuine.”
“He was a good father… he takes care of his kids,”
said a close friend, fighting back tears. The couple’s deaths left a hole in their family, especially for their children now parentless and facing a world that watched their tragedy unfold in real-time.
The suspect, 41-year-old Manuel Ruiz known online as SinCity Manny or Sin City MannyWise wasn’t a stranger to drama. Wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, Ruiz appeared during the livestream, argued with Jerome, and then opened fire. He fled the scene but surrendered the next day at a Henderson Police station. Now, he’s facing two counts of open murder with a deadly weapon—charges U.S. audiences recognize from high-profile courtroom sagas.
Ruiz was the face behind the now-deleted “Sin City Family” YouTube channel, known for eccentric outfits, provocative stunts, and videos around Fremont Street. His larger-than-life persona masked a dangerous rivalry.
“This was brewing, this brewed for two years,”
said another local YouTuber. It wasn’t just name-calling. Since 2023, Finny and Ruiz had traded insults, copyright claims, and threats across YouTube, Reddit, and X. One key flashpoint: a 2023 video where Ruiz pepper-sprayed Bubbly.
Ruiz even posted videos “searching for Finny” in Vegas a digital hunt that crossed into the real world. Followers on both sides fanned the flames, turning content into combat.
It all came to a head outside 3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Witnesses say Ruiz walked up, exchanged heated words, then pulled a gun. Seven shots echoed through the night. Panic followed tourists ran, police swarmed, and fans watching online screamed at screens.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) quickly confirmed the attack was targeted and that there was no ongoing danger to the public. But for many, the damage had already spread through screens across the nation.
Ruiz’s YouTube channel was deleted for community violations. Finny’s channel remains up, though the fatal video is gone. Online reaction was immediate and polarized grief, anger, conspiracy, and a flood of misinformation.
This tragedy resonates far beyond Las Vegas. Americans from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles know the cost of online beefs spilling into the real world. The unfiltered nature of livestreaming where violence can go viral in seconds raises big questions: Are social platforms doing enough? How do we stop words from becoming weapons?
LVMPD continues its investigation, digging into motive and whether earlier threats were ignored. Ruiz’s first court appearance is scheduled in Las Vegas Justice Court later this month.
