The Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department says four deputies fired 24 rounds at Cameron Ely, who was being sought on suspicion of fatally stabbing his mother on Oct. 15.
Cameron Ely, 30, is suspect of stabbing and killing his mother, 62-year-old Valerie Lundeen Ely.
Authorities said they quickly found him outside the home, and Ely told them he had a gun and that he moved his hands as if he were grabbing a weapon. Deputies then fired.
No weapon was found.
Ron Ely, 81, played the title character on the NBC series "Tarzan," which ran from 1966 to 1968. Ely also hosted the Miss America pageant in 1980 and 1981. He had retired from acting in 2001, although he did have a role in a television movie in 2014.
The home on Mariposa Drive is in the exclusive Hope Ranch community on the Santa Barbara coast.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.