Cameron Ely, son of Tarzan actor Ron Ely was shot 24 times by the police, while he was unarmed, spokesperson for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said in a press statement on Tuesday.
On October 15, Cameron (30) called 911 after stabbing his mother Valerie (62). On the phone, he tried to put the blame on his elderly father Ron (81), as per the audio footage that was released. When the authorities arrived at family's Hope Ranch home, they found Valarie dead due to multiple stabs. The Tarzan actor who was present at the scene informed the officers that his son was the suspect. While searching for Cameron, he was located outside the house.
"The suspect told deputies that he had a gun, advanced towards the deputies, and motioned with his hands as if he were drawing a weapon", the spokesperson said in a press statement. He further added, "In response, four deputies fired a total of 24 rounds from their service weapons, fatally wounding the suspect". But when the authorities approached him using a ballistic shield, they found that he had feigned being armed and did not have a weapon. None of the deputies were injured, the spokesperson said.
The former actor who was present at the scene was also uninjured but was taken to the hospital, as a precaution. The investigators are currently conducting criminal, coroner's and administrative investigations-with an autopsy of both Valarie and Cameron pending.
Ron Ely played the title character in the NBC series Tarzan that aired in the 1960s, while Valarie was a former Miss Florida. The couple tied the knot in 1984 and had 3 children, Cameron and two daughters, Kirsten and Kaitland. The sisters, who are both social media influencers, have yet to speak out about the tragedy.
