The 48-year-old former forward for English soccer team Aston Villa went into cardiac arrest after officers used a Taser on him in Telford, central England, in August 2016, according to the UK’s PA news agency.

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Paramedics were unable to save him and he died around 90 minutes later.

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A second officer from the West Mercia Police Force has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm.

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Relatives said Atkinson was “not in his right mind” and had health complaints including kidney issues and a weak heart at the time of the incident, reported PA.

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During his 16-year career, the talented striker also played for Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday in England as well as teams in the Spanish, Turkish and South Korean leagues.

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Both officers, who have been identified only as police constables A and B for legal reasons, are due to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, according to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

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Jenny Hopkins, head of the special crime and counter terrorism division of CPS, said in a statement: “This decision was made following a careful review of all the evidence presented to us by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following an investigation.”

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Police Constable A, who faces the murder charge, has also been charged with manslaughter as an alternative offense, according to the CPS. This is for a jury to consider if “it first finds that the more serious charge has not been proved.”

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On behalf of Atkinson’s family, solicitor Kate Maynard of Hickman and Rose, said: “Dalian’s family welcomes the decision to put the conduct of police officers before a jury but regrets that already more than three years have passed since Dalian died.”

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