Former Real Sociedad striker Dalian Atkinson has died at the age of 48 after being tasered to death by police.
The Daily Mail reports how “neighbours described hearing a lot of shouting and police outside” Atkinson’s family home in Telford at around 01:30 BST on Monday as officers from West Mercia Police “rushed to the scene amid concerns for the safety of an individual”.
A spokesman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We were called by West Mercia Police to an address in Meadow Close in the Trench area of Telford at about 1.45am this morning.
“An ambulance was dispatched and upon arrival found a man who had been Tasered.
“As he was being conveyed to Princess Royal Hospital, his condition deteriorated and he went into cardiac arrest.
“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.”
Atkinson is best known to Spanish audiences for his season with Real Sociedad in 1990-91, when he became their first-ever black player.
Nicknamed ’txipiron’ – Basque for ‘the squid’ – by the Anoeta faithful, Atkinson scored 12 goals in his solitary campaign for La Real.
He also turned out for the likes of Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Fenerbahce and picked up an England B cap in a career that spanned 16 years until his retirement in 2001.
Image courtesy @swfc via Twitter
