Tarzan actor Ron Ely’s 30-year-old son Cameron was shot 24 times after telling police he had a gun when he was in fact unarmed, according to officials.
Police were called to the family’s Hope Ranch on 15 October by Cameron after he allegedly stabbed his 63-year-old mother, Valerie, to death and tried to blame his father, who was also at home at the time.
“Deputies searched the residence and surrounding area for Cameron Ely,” said a spokesperson for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office in a press release.
“During the search, the murder suspect was located outside the home. 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.
“In response, four deputies fired a total of 24 rounds from their service weapons, fatally wounding the suspect. When deputies were able to safely approach Cameron using a ballistic shield, they found that he had feigned being armed and did not have a weapon.”
The statement did not detail a motive in the killing.
Ron, 81, is best known for portraying Tarzan in the 1966 NBC series and for playing the lead role in the film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze.
He hosted the Miss America pageant in 1981 and 1982, and married Valerie in 1984.
They had three children: Kirsten, Kaitland, and Cameron.
