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A 48-year-old man who died after being Tasered by police has been named locally as former Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson. Atkinson, 48, died around 90 minutes after he was hit by a stun gun in Meadow Close in the Trench area of Telford, Shropshire, at around 1.30am on Monday. A neighbour, who did not want to be named, told PA: "I had known him since he was a little boy, he was a famous footballer at one time. He was friendly, he had no trouble that I know of." West Mercia Police said officers were called amid concerns "for the safety of an individual" and deployed Taser. Forensic officers were at the scene on Monday as Meadow Close remained cordoned off. West Mercia Police said in a statement: "Officers responded to a report for the concern for the safety of an individual at approximately 1.30am this morning at an address in Telford. "Upon arrival, Taser was deployed and a 48-year-old man, who subsequently received medical attention, was pronounced dead at approximately 3am. "West Mercia Police are unable to comment any further as the incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) as is normal procedure, and will assist the IPCC with their inquiries." A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman told the Birmingham Mail: "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." Local resident Paula Quinn said Mr Atkinson appeared to be "almost staggering" in the street before he was Tasered. Miss Quinn, who lives in a first-floor flat above a barber's shop, added: "I heard shouting and something smashing, which is what alerted me to look out of the window. "I am feeling a bit sick knowing that the poor lad has passed. I don't care what anybody has done. Nobody deserves to die as a result of something like that." Atkinson was a top-flight striker in the 1990s, with a goal for league runners-up Aston Villa against Wimbledon, which followed a mazy run from inside his own half, being voted 1992-1993 goal of the season. He went on to score at Wembley in 1994 as Villa beat Manchester United to lift the League Cup. Starting his career at Ipswich he played for Sheffield Wednesday and Spanish side Real Sociedad before moving to Villa. 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. He ended his playing career playing in South Korea in 2001. Ipswich Town paid tribute on its Twitter feed, saying: "Terribly sad news about our former striker. Our thoughts are with Dalian's family and friends at this tragic time." Sheffield Wednesday said on the social media site: "The thoughts of everyone at Wednesday are with the friends and family of Dalian Atkinson this morning. RIP." Former teammate Tony Daley, who played for Aston Villa at the same time as Atkinson, tweeted: "Devastating news...RIP Dalian" with an image of a broken heart." Villa confirmed they will pay tribute to Atkinson during their Championship game with Huddersfield on Tuesday. The club will hold a minute's applause in the 10th minute with Atkinson having worn the number 10 for most of his Villa career. Fans wanted to bring in umbrellas as a tribute after one supporter celebrated Atkinson's goal at Wimbledon by running onto the pitch and shielding him from the rain with a brolly. But the club will not allow them to bring in their own due to health and safety issues. Several designated members of the club's fan squad will instead hold up umbrellas around the stadium in the 10th minute to commemorate the celebration.
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