Former Football Star Dies After Tasered by UK Police

A former football player, Dalian Atkinson, was killed by West Mercia UK Police after receiving multiple shocks with a Taser. According to police, the former football start was attempting to kill his father. After a brief altercation with police, Atkinson was pronounced dead. His death has raised questions of whether or not the force used by police, was necessary. Allegations of being trigger happy have been made by critics of the West Mercia Police, of their handling of this incident.

Police were reportedly dispatched to Atkinson’s father house for a disturbance. According to the police, Atkinson was intoxicated and had attempted to murder his father. An eyewitness, identified as Paula Quinn, told the BBC that the police Tasered Atkinson after repeatedly kicking him, while he was on the ground. One of the officers yelled “Back off, back off, back off” as he pointed the Taser, however, the other officers continued to kick him. “And then the officer with the Taser asked the gentleman to put his hands behind his back and did so probably two or three times and reactivated the Taser another four or five times after that.”

The description of events sounds like something you’d expect in America, not the United Kingdom.

Atkinson’s brother, Kenroy Atkinson stated that it was believed he had been living with a friend. On this night, however, Atkinson showed up intoxicated, banging on the door. He was yelling that he was homeless and attempted to kick the door down.

Atkinson had been depressed after leaving football. He had been on a dialysis treatment for kidney failure. He pulled out the dialysis tube and had blood all over him. He had been drinking and using drugs. “He got dad by the throat and said he was going to kill him. He told dad he had already killed me, our brother Paul and sister Elaine and he had come for him. He was not in his right mind,” according to Kenroy.

According to police, the Taser was deployed at 1:30BST. Witnesses also stated that police failed to act after Tasering Atkinson, having waited twenty minutes before requesting an ambulance. Atkinson died en route to the hospital.

The Taser has always been controversial, however, more and more cases of Taser-related fatalities are bringing the device back into the spotlight. Between 2009 and 2014, at least 283 taser related deaths occured in the United States. The UK has seen their fair share of deaths stemming from Taser deployments, as well.

This is yet another case where improper multiple discharges of a Taser ended a man’s life. While the responsibility of Atkinson’s death ultimately falls on the officer who pulled the trigger, Taser – the company – bears some of the burden. The increasing numbers of Taser-related deaths, whether due to misuse or otherwise, paint a clear picture that the Taser is not the safe and effective weapon we have been told it is.

Sources: Electronic Village, Daily Mail, BBC.

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