"Tarzan" star Ron Ely is suing the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department for the deaths of his wife and son. The 82-year-old actor claims that deputies did not make attempts to save the lives of Cameron Ely and Valerie Lundeen Ely, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ.
Their deaths took place on Oct. 15, 2019, when Cameron stabbed Valerie multiple times in the chest. Ron's wife lay on the floor for 30 minutes without receiving any medical assistance, according to the lawsuit. She was pronounced dead at 8:42 p.m.
"Defendant Deputies did not know, and failed to check, if Decedent Valerie was alive when they arrived," according to the suit cited by The Santa Barbara Independent.
Medical personnel were prevented from entering the home for over half an hour. Valerie was dead by the time they reached her.
Ron further states that his son was unarmed and surrendering when deputies opened fire, hitting him 22 times. He reportedly lay in the driveway for 13 minutes without medical assistance. At the time, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department stated that Cameron claimed to be armed and appeared as if he were about to draw a weapon when four deputies fired 24 shots at him, The Sun reported.
Ron claims that audio obtained from the night contradicts what police reported on the incident.
"Suddenly, and without any warning or legal justification, multiple Defendant Deputies opened fire on Decedent Cameron, striking him a total of 22 times with bullets from several department issued weapons," the claim states. "The shooting occurred less than 20 seconds after Defendant Deputies saw Decedent Cameron walk around the corner with his hands up, the universal act of surrender."
The suit adds: "Decedent Cameron was unarmed, nonviolent, and acting calmly during the entirety of the short encounter. He did not make any aggressive movements or furtive gestures nor did he utter any threats which would have led a reasonable Sheriff’s deputy to believe that he posed a risk of death or serious bodily injury to anyone."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
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