‘Tarzan’ Actor Ron Ely Sues Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office over Family Deaths
Audio Recording of Son’s Shooting Appears to Contradict Deputies’ Statements
Tarzan actor and Hope Ranch resident Ron Ely has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for the 2019 deaths of his wife, Valerie, and their son, Cameron.
The lawsuit claims that the four deputies who responded to a 9-1-1 call at the Ely residence the night of October 15 neglected to give timely medical aid to 62-year-old Valerie, whom authorities say Cameron had stabbed, and then shot 30-year-old Cameron 22 times as he attempted to surrender to them unarmed with his hands in the air.
“The reprehensible conduct of the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department Deputies was egregious, entirely unreasonable, and, accordingly, unconstitutional,” states the civil claim, which was filed in July and seeks an unspecified amount of punitive damages. Ely is represented by Los Angeles attorney DeWitt M. Lacy, who specializes in police misconduct cases and in recent years has secured high-dollar verdicts and settlements against the cities of Santa Clara, Antioch, and Alameda.
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