Umbrellas will also be held up at various locations around the ground during the tribute to commemorate the moment a fan held an umbrella over Atkinson’s head after the Villa star celebrated scoring a memorable goal against Wimbledon in the 1992-93 season.
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People in the street said the retired footballer, who drives a Porsche, is thought to have previously spent an extended period of time in hospital. I don’t care what anybody has done.
Atkinson died after he was shot with a Taser by police, who released a statement saying that police where responding to reports and had concerns for the safety of an individual.
The Sun reported that Atkinson shouted: “It’s not working”, when he was first struck by a Taser and police then allegedly fired two more rounds of the 50,000-volt shock.
The ambulance service said Atkinson went into cardiac arrest as he was being taken to Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital.
He said Atkinson had tried to attack their 85-year-old father, Ernest, while visiting the family home on Telford in the early hours of Monday morning.
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.
“And because he continued to step forward once or twice – non-threatening – they deployed the Taser”, Quinn said. He knew as much as they did that something special had just happened, but that this was now the norm for him and for their club. “I don’t know if he was drunk or on drugs but he was very agitated and his mind was upset”, his father told The Telegraph.
He scored the victor for Villa in 1994 when it beat Manchester United with Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs, 3-1, to win the League Cup.
IPCC investigators have been conducting house to house enquiries in the immediate area and gathering available information.
“RIP Dalian Atkinson. You’ll never be forgotten!”
Atkinson played for various football clubs, such as Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday and the Spanish side Real Sociedad before moving to Villa.
“We have begun a full and thorough investigation into police contact with Dalian Atkinson prior to his death, including the level and type of force used”, said IPCC deputy chairwoman Rachel Cerfontyne.
“An ambulance was dispatched and upon arrival found a man who had been tasered”.
He scored more than 20 Premier League goals for the Birmingham side between 1991 and 1995 before going on to play less successfully for teams including Turkish side Fenerbahce and Manchester City. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this awful time”.
The police watchdog, the Independent Police Complains Commission, has confirmed it will examine the “use of force”.
Only 19% (1,921) were actual discharges – down 3% from the previous year – where the weapon was sacked.
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Aston Villa will pay tribute to Atkinson during their second-tier English Championship match at home to Huddersfield on Tuesday.
