[Updated Thursday 8:54 a.m.]
The 30-year-old son of Tarzan actor Ron Ely, who played the role in the 1960s, was shot and killed by California deputies on Tuesday after he allegedly stabbed his mother to death.
Deputies responded to a call about a disturbance at the Elys’ Santa Barbara County home Tuesday night and reported that they found “an elderly woman” — identified as Valerie Lundeen Ely, 62 — dead of multiple stab wounds, KTLA 5 reported, citing Santa Barbara County authorities.
Upon searching the property, deputies said they found the suspect, later identified as Cameron Ely, and shot him when he “posed a threat.”
The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office did not initially name the victim or the suspect but confirmed their identities on Wednesday. The office’s initial statement said that a disabled elderly man was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Ron Ely, 81, has a medical condition that makes talking difficult.
In a 911 recording obtained by The Blaze, a dispatcher indicates that the suspect tried to blame his father for his mother’s murder.
A dispatcher reporting the incident to the sheriff’s office says that a male called 911 claiming his father tried to attack the mother.”
Ron Ely is best known for playing Tarzan for three seasons in an NBC television series. The Elys had been married for 35 years and have two other children. Valerie Ely was a former Miss Florida.
Police said the officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
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[Featured image: Ron Ely in 1987/AP; Tarzan screenshot/YouTube]
