A heated exchange on social media escalated into real-world violence Sunday night, as a shooting outside the Bellagio added to the growing list of troubling incidents on the Las Vegas Strip.
At approximately 10:40 p.m. on Sunday, Las Vegas police responded to reports of gunfire outside the Bellagio Hotel and Casino on the Strip. Upon arrival, officers discovered two individuals with gunshot wounds; both were pronounced dead at the scene.
In a statement, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department described the shooting as “an isolated incident” and confirmed that a suspect had been identified. By Monday morning, 41-year-old Manuel Ruiz had turned himself in to the Henderson Police Department. He is currently in custody facing two counts of murder with a deadly weapon.
On Sunday, police stated that the individuals involved “knew each other and had previously engaged in conflict over social media.” According to News 3, the shooting appears to have stemmed from an ongoing online feud between Manuel Ruiz—operator of the “SinCity Family” and “SinCity-MannyWise” YouTube channels—and another content creator known as “Finny Da Legend.” Both of Ruiz’s YouTube accounts have since been deactivated.
Unconfirmed reports on X suggest that the victims were Finny Da Legend and his wife, and that the shooting was captured during a livestream on Finny’s channel, which has since been removed. However, clips of the incident, including footage showing the gunfire erupting, continue to circulate on the platform.
Users on X also reshared a video posted by Ruiz the day before the shooting, in which he was seen driving around Las Vegas, apparently searching for his online rival.
MGM Resorts, the parent company of the Bellagio, declined to comment on Monday, referring all inquiries to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Strip safety top of mind
Safety on and around the Las Vegas Strip has been a growing concern for several years, with heightened focus following the events of October 1, 2017. On that night, Stephen Paddock fired from a suite on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay into the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest music festival, killing 60 people and injuring more than 400. The tragedy remains the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
In an effort to curb crime, officials introduced “order-out corridors” as one strategy to increase safety around the Las Vegas Strip. In 2022, Clark County passed an ordinance designating most of the Strip and nearby areas as an “order-out corridor,” allowing courts to ban individuals from returning for up to a year if they committed a misdemeanor there. The goal was to deter crime and ease the burden on the court system. These zones were later expanded to cover downtown and other high-traffic locations.
To manage these cases, a dedicated Resort Corridor Court was established in 2023, but it was eventually dissolved the following year. During this year’s legislative session, the Nevada Resort Association and the Culinary Workers Union Local 226—traditionally adversaries—joined forces to advocate for reinstating the court. However, due to a chaotic final day of the session, the crime bill containing the provision failed to come to a vote.
Down on its luck
The Bellagio shooting is the latest in a series of troubling incidents on the Las Vegas Strip, which has faced a challenging start to 2025. The year began with a tragic event on January 1, when 37-year-old Army veteran Matthew Livelsberger died by suicide after detonating a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel. According to the Associated Press, Livelsberger left a note describing the act as “a wake-up call” in response to Donald Trump’s reelection as president.
In the spring, former President Donald Trump launched a volatile trade war with several key U.S. trading partners, including Mexico and Canada—Las Vegas’ two largest source markets for international visitors. While the newly imposed tariffs may not directly restrict travel, growing negative sentiment abroad is expected to weigh on tourist numbers.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, overall visitor volume in April was 3.3 million—down 5% year over year. On the Strip, hotel occupancy slipped by 0.4%, though average daily rates rose nearly 5% to $203.
Even before trade tensions escalated, the Strip was already facing tough comparisons after a record-setting 2024. Revenue for April declined 3% compared to the same month last year, marking the third straight monthly drop and the eighth in the past nine months. With the fiscal year showing a decline of more than 3%, the Strip’s streak of post-Covid record-breaking years may be nearing its end.
