Dalian Atkinson in 'manic state' before he was Tasered, says his brother

Former Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson threatened to kill his elderly father in a "manic state" before he was Tasered by police, his brother has claimed.

The 48-year-old died 90 minutes after he was hit by the stun gun in the street where he grew up in the Trench area of Telford, Shropshire, in the early hours of Monday morning.

According to relatives Atkinson was suffering from a number of health issues and had a weak heart when he was hit by the weapon at around 1.30am.

The retired footballer went into cardiac arrest in an ambulance on his way to hospital and medics were unable to save him. The death is now under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the police watchdog which investigates all instances when a Taser is used.

Atkinson's brother, Kenroy, 53, told The Sun the ex-Premier League star had undergone dialysis for kidney failure and was "not in his right mind". He said his brother had attacked their 85-year-old father, Ernest, at his home on Monday before police were called to the scene.

"My brother had lost it. He was in a manic state and depressed - out of his mind and ranting. He had a tube in his shoulder for the dialysis and he had ripped it out and was covered in blood," he told the newspaper.

"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. We are all devastated. Our family is heartbroken."

Using barbed wires fired at a suspect, the shock delivered by a Taser can be thousands of volts in strength and is intended to immobilise.

On Monday Atkinson's nephew, Fabian Atkinson, suggested officers would not have used the stun gun if they had known the ex-striker's medical history.

He said: "He had some health issues that he was trying to get through and that's why his heart was weak.

"When a Taser is deployed, as soon as a Taser is deployed, they need to automatically call an ambulance. How do they know the health of the guy or the girl that they are affecting?"

West Mercia Police said officers were called amid concerns "for the safety of an individual" and then deployed the stun guns.

Atkinson is famed for a goal for Villa against Wimbledon which followed a run from inside his own half and it was voted goal of the season in 1992-93. He went on to score at Wembley in 1994 as Villa beat Manchester United to lift the League Cup.

He played for Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday and Real Sociedad before moving to Villa, scoring 38 goals between 1991 and 1995, and also featured for Fenerbahce and Manchester City. He ended his playing career in South Korea in 2001.

Former managers and team-mates of Atkinson have paid tribute to him and old club Villa will hold a minute's applause in the 10th minute of their Sky Bet Championship match against Huddersfield on Tuesday night.

Villa fans had 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 fans 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 of Atkinson's life.