Ron Ely seen crying over wife's body as cops arive in bodycam clip, family says DA lied about son's killing
Recently-released footage shows the moment police officers arrive at the home of 'Tarzan' actor Ron Ely after his wife was stabbed to death by their son. The video released by the star's family is from the scene of the killing last year in October. Two officers can be seen entering the actor's Santa Barbara house which is in darkness, and approach 82-year-old Ely, who is wheelchair-bound, crying over his wife's body.
Ely reportedly was filing a lawsuit against the Santa Barbara sheriff's office over the death of his son and wife at their home in California. Ron's 30-year-old son, Cameron Ely, who allegedly fatally stabbed his 62-year-old mother Valerie Lundeen Ely, was shot dead by police officers. Authorities, however, have not released any motive in the stabbing case.
In the clip, a police officer using a flashlight asks Ely: "Sir, what's going on?" as they turn the corner and his wife Valerie's brody comes into view. One of the officers then is heard saying: "Oh my god, Jesus. Clear the house." It was later concluded that the couple's son had stabbed his mother to death and minutes later was shot 22 times by officers on the grounds of his family home.
The Ely family, on Thursday, October 15, released new footage from the night of the incident as the couple's two daughters held a press conference at their family home. Cameron, in one clip, is told "keep your hands up" before he's shot by officers. Another footage shows officers handcuffing him after shooting him dozens of times as he lays motionless. Cameron and his mother were pronounced dead at the scene while Ely remained unharmed during the altercation.
You can watch the video here.
The latest update in the case comes after investigators in California concluded last week that police were justified in shooting Cameron dead. Ron Ely, who played the lead in the 1966 NBC series 'Tarzan', is suing the city of Santa Barbara and police, however, for the wrongful death of his son and unspecified damages. Ely has said that his son was unarmed and was surrendering when officers shot him at least 22 times. The suit has also argued that Valerie, meanwhile, was left to die by the deputies who did not check whether she was still alive and took nearly 30 minutes to get medical assistance. "The reprehensible conduct of the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department Deputies was egregious, entirely unreasonable, and, accordingly, unconstitutional," the suit alleged.
Ely's daughters, Kirsten and Kaitlaind, during the press conference, said they were "unable to pick up the pieces due to the intentional deception, ineptitude, and disregard for human life demonstrated by the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department." Kirsten said: "The audio recording is conclusive proof that the statement the DA released saying the shooting was justified is nothing more than a series of lies strung together to protect the deputies from their actions and to conceal the truth of what really happened to Cameron."
While Kaitland added that her mother was a "real-life fairy godmother" and her brother Cameron was a "gifted athlete and musician." He had the word 'veritas' tattooed on his back, which Kaitland said was "illegible when he arrived at the coroner's office because it had been shot through so many times by the deputies."