Man fatally shot at police station 'wanted help'

The family of a man who was fatally shot in a police station car park after wielding a knife at officers say they believe his actions were a call for "help".

Marius Ciolac, 35, was shot outside Ascot Drive police station in Derby on the morning of 7 October 2022 and died at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, later that day.

An inquest into his death began at Derby Coroner's Court on 22 January.

During the final day of evidence on Tuesday, the jury heard how Mr Ciolac had a difficult childhood.

Mr Ciolac entered the compound at 10:02 BST on 7 October, brandishing a knife and carrying his pet cat in a carrier bag.

The jury heard throughout the inquest the 35-year-old smashed the station windows and police cars with the blade and ignored numerous demand to drop the blade.

CCTV showed Mr Ciolac subsequently surrounded by armed officers who used a baton round, a Taser and a multi-bang stun grenade, which were all ineffective.

He then ran towards an officer and was shot, before falling to the ground and being handcuffed, the inquest heard.

Mr Ciolac received medical attention at the scene before being taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:25.

Mr Ciolac's family believe his actions were "his way of shouting for help", saying he had endured a difficult childhood and had "always been alone".

His sister, Andrea, said in a statement: "We know he was wrong to enter the police station car park with a knife.

"But we are heartbroken that he was unable to be stopped by all those officers without being killed."

"We understand he did wrong by carrying a knife like that but he wasn't a violent man and he wasn't a bad man," she added.

The court heard Mr Ciolac - born in Romania - was not registered with a GP at the time of his death and was "not known to have any mental health problems", although his family believed he was struggling.

He was one of four siblings and the youngest brother in his family, growing up in a "very poor" household with an "abusive" father, the court was told.

Andrea said when her parents split - when Mr Ciolac was four - the siblings were also separated.

Mr Ciolac was taken by his father to live in another town before being sent to an orphanage, and two of his siblings - Andrea and her brother Alin - were eventually sent to a different orphanage by their mother, where they stayed for seven years.

They were reunited in their 20s after Mr Ciolac found his siblings on Facebook in 2010, when he was living in Spain.

As a boy, Andrea said her brother was "sweet and gentle".

"I could tell life had scarred him badly. He was a crumbled man," she said.

The jury has retired to consider the evidence.

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