British Officer Faces Murder Charge for In-Custody Death Involving ECD

An officer with the West Mercia Police Service in England now faces a murder charge in the death of a retired professional soccer player in 2016.

According to France24 , former Aston Villa "footballer" Dalian Atkinson was suffering a number of health issues and had a weak heart when an officer deployed an ECD on him during an incident at his home.

Atkinson reportedly went into cardiac arrest as he was being transported to a nearby hospital and paramedics were unable to revive him.

Investigation of the incident was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, which this week said in a statement, "Following the death of Dalian Atkinson in Telford on 15 August 2016, the Crown Prosecution Service has today authorised a charge of murder against a West Mercia police constable. A second police constable, from the same force, has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm."

The names of the officers charged were not released.