Cameron Ely, son of "Tarzan" actor Ron Ely, was unarmed when police shot him 24 times, fatally wounding him after he told the deputies he was armed and made motions as if he were drawing a weapon.

The 81-year-old "Tarzan" star lost both his wife Valerie Lundeen Ely and son Cameron Ely on October 15. The son allegedly stabbed his mother to death, called the authorities and attempted to blame the crime on his father, who reportedly suffers from a medical condition that inhibits his speech. He was subsequently fatally shot by four deputies outside his father's Hope Ranch home.

The new details have been revealed in a press release by Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office in California. The release says officers responding to the 911 call found Valerie, 62, inside the home "deceased with multiple stab wounds" while Ron Ely who was also home at the time of the incident confirmed Cameron as the suspect. Deputies searched the residence and surrounding area for Cameron and found him outside the home, reports People.

"The suspect (Cameron Ely) told deputies that he had a gun, advanced towards the deputies, and motioned with his hands as if he were drawing a weapon," stated the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office spokesperson.

The spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office adds that four deputies fired a total of 24 rounds from their service weapons fatally wounding the suspect. However, when the deputies were able to safely approach the younger Ely with the help of a ballistic shield, they found he had pretended being armed and did not possess a weapon.

None of the deputies involved in the confrontation sustained injuries. Ron Ely was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, but was not injured.

An autopsy of both Valerie and Cameron is still pending. Further criminal, coroner's and administrative investigations into the crime is being conducted by the authorities.

Crime scene tape
A representational image of a crime scene. (Pixabay)

Ron and Valerie Ely also shared two daughters Kirsten and Kaitland, who are both social media influencers and have not yet reacted to the tragic incident. Cameron was the youngest of the three siblings and was a graduate with a degree in psychology from Harvard University, where he was also a football team quarterback.

The 30-year-old was a licensed security guard for the past two years, reports The Los Angeles Times.