Aston Villa

Former Premier League striker Dalian Atkinson dies after being Tasered by police

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:43 p.m. ET

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Thomas Hautmann

Former Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson died on Monday after being shot with a Taser by police at his father's house in Telford, England.

The 48-year-old Atkinson went into cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital, according to paramedics. He was pronounced dead shortly upon arrival.

According to the BBC, a neighbor described seeing Atkinson being Tasered after "stumbling towards" the police at around 1:30 in the morning.

"I saw two police officers shouting at the gentleman and he sort of was stumbling towards them and the police officers warned him they would Taser him, but he just seemed a bit, perhaps, inebriated,” Paula Quinn told the Shropshire Star.

"And because he continued to step forward once or twice - non-threatening - they deployed the Taser," Quinn said.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the incident.

For those of you who’ve followed the Premier League since its inception, you may remember Atkinson for scoring the Goal of the Season in the EPL’s inaugural campaign of 1992/93:

Atkinson also holds the distinction of scoring Aston Villa’s first Premier League goal, and tallied the opener of Villa’s 1994 League Cup final win over Manchester United. Atkinson began his career at Ipswich Town and also played for Sheffield Wednesday and Fenerbahce, among others.

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