Former Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson threatened to kill his elderly father in a “manic state” before he was Tasered by police, his brother said.
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FILE – This is a March 27, 1994 file photo of Aston Villa manager Ron Atkinson holding the English League Cup with former Aston Villa player Dalian Atkinson at Wembley Stadium in London.
According to the BBC, a neighbor described seeing Atkinson being Tasered after “stumbling towards” the police at around 1:30 in the morning.
The statement continued: “Upon arrival, Taser was deployed and a 48-year-old man, who subsequently received medical attention, was pronounced dead at approximately 3am”.
Atkinson’s death has also prompted fresh concern about policing and race and particularly the way police deal with black people with mental health conditions.
“He got Tasered in the street”, the 85-year-old said, cited by media reports.
The football star was “very agitated” and in a “real state” when police were called to his dad’s home in the early hours of this morning before hitting him with a stun gun.
“He was threatening and very upset”. I didn’t call the police but someone else did.
According to a 2010 Home Office survey of public attitudes towards Tasers, cited in the IPCC report, almost three-quarters of respondents supported police use of the devices, with a similar percentage saying they had trust in the police to use them responsibly.
According to relatives Mr Atkinson was suffering from a number of health issues and had a weak heart when he was hit by the weapon at around 1.30am.
A leading campaigner against excessive police deployment of Tasers has told The Independent that the way the weapons are being used generally is “a reflection of institutional racism within the police”.
He said it should be “mandatory” to deploy an ambulance when a Taser was going to be used.
The incident was automatically referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission due to the death occurring in police custody, The Guardian notes. “Our investigation team have been securing and preserving relevant evidence, and identifying witnesses”.
Atkinson’s death is likely to trigger a debate about police use of electronic stun guns. British police are not routinely armed.
Black people are three times more likely to have a Taser used against them by police than white people, according to figures released a year ago by the home office.
Dalian Atkinson playing for England “B” in 1990.
His is best remembered for scoring the Match of the Day goal of the season in the 1992-3 campaign for Aston Villa away at Wimbledon. Atkinson began his career at Ipswich Town and also played for Sheffield Wednesday and Fenerbahce, among others.
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Villa confirmed they will pay tribute to Atkinson during their Sky Bet Championship game with Huddersfield on Tuesday.
