A YouTuber claimed self-defense Tuesday in a Las Vegas court after he was charged in the livestreamed killing of a married couple on the Strip that stemmed from a long-running internet feud between the two men.

An arrest report shared during the hearing revealed that Manuel Ruiz, 41, told police he opened fire on Rodney and Tanisha Finley because Mr. Finley reached for his waistband when the suspect confronted the victims Sunday night near the Fountains of Bellagio.

Police said neither Mr. Finley, 44, nor Mrs. Finley, 43, was armed when they were gunned down by Mr. Ruiz, who faces two murder charges in connection with the slayings.

The couple had a livestream going when, according to authorities, Mr. Ruiz entered the frame and began arguing with Mrs. Finley. The gunman then pulls out a pistol and opens fire at someone off camera.

Mrs. Finley looks aghast at the phone recording the livestream and says, “Are you f——— kidding me?” before screaming.

Authorities said she was shot dead moments later when Mr. Ruiz told detectives he spotted a “shiny black object” on her person that he thought was a gun.

Investigators showed the video to Mr. Ruiz after he turned himself in Monday.  

“The video clearly showed Manny advancing toward Finny while shooting,” police wrote in the arrest report. “Manny became frustrated and asked to speak with an attorney.”

Police said the two had an internet beef that started in October 2023 and spread across multiple platforms.

Mr. Finley, under the moniker Finny Da Legend, and Mr. Ruiz, who went by Sin City Manny, would argue and troll each other on a frequent basis.

Fellow streamer Marquise Wiley said the two men were involved in a “childish” dispute to see “who’s going to be the biggest YouTube creator in Las Vegas,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“What Ruiz did was unethical, it was stupid and he deserves to be in prison for the rest of [his] life,” Mr. Wiley said after the hearing Tuesday. “Those victims did not deserve to be killed.”

One contentious topic appeared to be a copyright issue, according to KLAS-TV, but the nature of the copyright problem was unclear based on the livestreams.

Immediately after the shooting, police said Mr. Ruiz’s wife approached officers and said the feud led to her family being threatened online and in the mail.

A Clark County judge ordered Mr. Ruiz to be held without bail. He is due back in court Thursday.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.