The former Aston Villa striker has died after he was Tasered by police.
The 48-year-old, named locally as Dalian Atkinson, 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, said: “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.
This follows the death in June of ex-soldier Spencer Beynon, who was Tasered by police in Llanelli, South Wales, after stabbing a dog and then himself.