Former Blues striker Dalian Atkinson, who died after being Tasered by police yesterday, was “not in his right mind” and was threatening to kill his father, his brother Kenroy has said.
At the time of his death, after going into cardiac arrest in an ambulance while being taken to hospital, Atkinson, 48, was suffering from health problems, including a weak heart and had undergone dialysis for kidney failure.
"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," Kenroy Atkinson, 53, told The Sun.
"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."
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating the former Town youth player’s death, including the use of force with officers reported to have used a Taser on a number of occasions and claims that he was kicked while on the ground.