Man Held in Shooting Was Cowboy Actor

A 74-year-old Simi Valley man arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of one man and the wounding of another in a local bar last weekend is a former Hollywood cowboy, who appeared in dozens of TV and movie westerns, including “Rawhide” and “Gunsmoke.”

Police said Robert Sorrells walked into the Regency Lounge on Los Angeles Avenue about 5 p.m. Saturday and opened fire on customers and employees. He then walked back through the bar’s front door, turned around and fired two shots, hitting one customer seated on a bar stool, police said.

Simi Valley police declined to cite a motive for the shootings.

Bar patron Arthur De Long, 45, a local painting contractor, died from a gunshot wound to his back. Edward Sanchez, 40, was in fair condition Tuesday at Simi Valley Hospital with gunshot wounds on his face and neck.

As police continue their investigation, more details have emerged about Sorrells. A character actor who appeared in TV shows over the last 40 years, his mental and physical health took a turn for the worse this year when his mother and dog died, said neighbor Marly Harris, 71.

Sorrells was a gifted musician and an “intuitive, sensitive teacher,” Harris said. He gave her guitar lessons until about a year ago, when she cut off their friendship because she said he became verbally abusive.

Harris described his behavior as erratic and said she was concerned about his welfare.

He also organized country and western concerts at Heywood Gardens, the senior apartment complex between Erringer Road and Los Angeles Avenue where they live. The events provided a bright spot in the lives of the many shut-ins who live there, Harris said.

The tall, slender, silver-haired actor appeared in TV dramas, including “Rawhide,” “Combat!” “The Fugitive” and “Death Valley Days.”

Harris said Sorrells had studied Eastern spirituality, becoming a yogi and vegetarian who believed in nonviolence. He grew tomatoes on his patio and rode his bicycle every day, rigging a contraption to carry the dog.

Harris said she noticed he became depressed after his mother and dog died. She said he has no known relatives.

“He was very, very close to his mother and he adored that dog,” she said. “He was so good to it.”