Share

Dalian Atkinson, former Aston Villa striker, dies after Taser shot

I don’t know if he was drunk or if it was hard to see.

Advertisement

According to figures from the Home Office (interior ministry), police discharged Tasers 1,921 times a year ago.

The statement issued by the police revealed that the officers fired a Taser at about 1.30am on Monday in response to a report of concerns for a person’s safety.

Former teammates of Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson have united to mourn his death.

A Taser should not have been used by police officers to subdue Dalian Atkinson, a specialist lawyer has said.

“RIP Dalian Atkinson. You’ll never be forgotten!”

Atkinson was most famous for a scoring a goal for Villa against Wimbledon in October 1992, when he ran from inside his own half, evaded a number of attempted challenges before chipping the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net.

Ron Atkinson, who managed the forward at Sheffield Wednesday and at Villa, told Press Association Sport: “He always had a smile on his face – and played football with a smile on his face”.

The ambulance service said Atkinson went into cardiac arrest as he was being taken to the town’s Princess Royal Hospital.

Atkinson played in the early 1990s for the Birmingham-based club, which was then part of the Premier League, and is remembered for having scored one of the competition’s great individual goals in 1992.

However, of those, 19 per cent (1,921) were discharges; a decrease of 3 per cent from the previous year.

The incident has now been referred to police watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Former managers and team-mates of Atkinson have paid tribute to him and old club Villa will hold a minute’s applause in the 10th minute of their Sky Bet Championship match against Huddersfield tonight. His professional career started in 1985 with England’s Ipswich Town and extended through 2001 with South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

The IPCC said in a statement, “Our investigation team have been securing and preserving relevant evidence, and identifying witnesses”.

Sheffield Wednesday tweeted that “the thoughts of everyone at Wednesday are with the friends and family of Dalian Atkinson”.

Mr Atkinson is reported to have stumbled towards officers in a non-threatening manner.

‘Despite the efforts of the crew and hospital staff, it was not possible to save him and he was confirmed dead at hospital, shortly after arrival’.

Advertisement

Atkinson starred for Villa in that season, helping them to a second-place finish, and he scored for them in the UEFA Cup the following season.

Dalian Atkinson