Family speaks about Arizona YouTubers gunned down on Las Vegas Strip
'He wanted always to be the funniest person in the room,' Gracie Kennedy said.
Livestream viewers flood 911 to report Las Vegas Strip shooting: 'We watch these two guys live all the time'
Kennedy shared what she loved about her son, Rodney Finley, during an interview with 8 News Now's sister station, KPHO.
'He just started the page, and it just blew up,' Kennedy said. 'He had no idea it was going to blow up like that.'
Rodney Finley, 44, and his wife, Tanisha Finley, 43, were gunned down in front of the Bellagio fountains Sunday night. The shooting was caught on their 'Finny Da Legend' livestream.
Video shows suspect in Las Vegas Strip double murder turning self in
Kennedy told KPHO she was watching it all happen from her home in Phoenix.
'I called him, he said, 'mom I can't talk to you right now because I'm live streaming,'' she said. 'And then I heard the shots and then I heard some more shots and the phone dropped.'
Fellow streamer Manuel Ruiz, known as 'Sin City Manny' online, who faces two murder charges in the case, appeared in court Thursday.
Ruiz told police after he was arrested that he shot both people in self defense, because they thought they were going to shoot him, according to arrest documents.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson disputed that claim during a news conference Thursday.
'I think it's probably garbage. There's no indication from any of the evidence at all that self-defense would be a viable defense,' Wolfson said. 'No weapons were found near the victims or on the victims, and the motivation is pretty clear.'
Wolfson also said prosecutors will consider seeking the death penalty for Ruiz.
'This is a case involving the death of two innocent people,' Wolfson said. 'Whenever we have a situation where two people are killed needlessly, senselessly, it's always an option.
Kennedy also addressed the alleged feud between Ruiz and Finley.
'I told my son I said, 'come on, this is getting too far,'' Kennedy said. 'Calm it down, calm it down.'
She added that she wished things hadn't escalated to violence.
'He said, 'I hope your mom has a black dress,' Kennedy said. ''Because, I'm going to kill you.''
Two of the multiple people who called 911 after the shooting happened identified themselves as Rodney Finley's son and Tanisha Finley's mother. Both said they were watching the livestream from Phoenix.
Ruiz is due to appear back in court on July 3.
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