The Santa Barbara District Attorney’s office announced on Tuesday that the officers involved in the shooting death of Tarzan star Ron Ely’s son will not face charges. The shooting was ruled justifiable, USA Today reports.
Authorities responded to Ely’s home after receiving a 9-1-1 call from Cameron Ely, 30, saying his mother tried to attack his father. “I defended him,” he said.
Upon arrival, police found Cameron’s mother, Valerie Lundeen, 62, deceased from stab wounds on the floor. After determining that Ron, 82, was too fragile to have committed the stabbing, police began looking for Cameron.
Due to a stroke, Ron is unable to speak clearly and is in a wheelchair.
In the DA’s report, authorities secured the home and began searching the property. They then encountered Cameron on a dark path leading to the backyard. Cameron did not comply with the officer’s commands and lunged forward while yelling, “I have a gun!” All four deputies told investigators they heard Cameron yell “clear as day.” The officers shot Cameron 22 times.
In the report, Deputy Phil Farley, one of the officers involved, said he felt like “we’ve just fallen into a trap. He’s going to ambush us, and he’s going for a gun to shoot and kill me.”
After searching Cameron, authorities found no weapon. They did find an iPhone, playing cards, small rocks, a car key fob, liquid vitamins, crumpled papers, a bank card, and a plastic bag with a white substance that later tested positive for cocaine.
Ron Ely and his two daughters have filed a wrongful death suit against Santa Barbara County, the Sheriff’s office, and the four deputies involved in the shooting. They are alleging the “unjustified use of deadly force and denial of medical care, resulting in the deaths of Cameron Ely and Valerie Lundeen Ely,” according to USA Today.
