A 48-year-old
man who died after being Tasered by police in the early hours of this
morning has been named locally as former Aston Villa player Dalian
Atkinson.
Officers from
West Mercia Police had been called to a home in Telford at around
1.30am this morning amid concerns ‘for the safety of an individual’.
When they
arrived, a Taser was used on a 48-year-old man. He received medical
attention but was pronounced dead at approximately 3am.
The 48-year-old man who died after being Tasered
by police has been named locally as former Aston Villa footballer
Dalian Atkinson (pictured in August 1992)
West Mercia
Police said the force was unable to comment any further as the incident
has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission as per
normal procedure.
The force
said it would assist the IPCC with their enquiries.The incident follows
the death of ex-soldier Spencer Beynon in June. He was Tasered by police
in Llanelli, South Wales, after stabbing a dog and then himself.
Friends said he had suffered mental health problems after leaving the military.
Last year
police use of Tasers, which are intended as a non-lethal weapon, went up
slightly towards the end of 2015 with 10,329 uses by forces in England
and Wales, a 2 per cent rise on the previous year.
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