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Fatally shot man was fixated on officer, PC says

Olimpia Zagnat
BBC News, Derby
Reporting fromDerby Coroner's Court
Supplied A selfie of Marius Ciolac. He's wearing a hi-vis jacket and cap. He's looking directly at the camera.Supplied
Marius Ciolac died after being shot in the lower abdomen, a post-mortem examination found

A man had become "possessive and fixated" on an armed officer who then fatally shot him at a distance of about one metre, an inquest has heard.

Jurors were told Marius Ciolac was in possession of a knife and had smashed through glass at Ascot Drive police station in Derby on the morning of 7 October 2022.

PC Shane Peach and Insp Mark Bonson gave evidence at Mr Ciolac's inquest at Derby Coroner's Court on Tuesday.

Insp Bonson said Mr Ciolac was still deemed a threat when he was sitting down in the station's car park, while PC Peach said the incident went from "zero to 100" after Mr Ciolac failed to respond to requests to put the knife down.

'Less lethal option'

Insp Bonson, who was in charge of the control room at the time, said the decision to deploy armed officers to the scene was "necessary".

The inquest heard Mr Ciolac had also damaged police vehicles, adding that the Tasers subsequently used on him were "ineffective".

However, the inquest heard, he was sitting down in the middle of the car park when armed officers arrived, telling him to drop the knife.

The two officers deployed to the scene - named only as officer A and officer B - had a rifle and baton gun respectively, with the latter weapon described in court as the "less lethal option".

Footage played at the inquest showed the moments before Mr Ciolac was fatally shot

They arrived and entered through the gate, which was "slightly ajar", the hearing was told.

The jury heard the armed officers told Mr Ciolac to "drop the knife" several times, but he did not follow their commands.

"[Mr Ciolac] didn't stop walking towards the officers," PC Peach added. "At that point I saw a rubber bullet on the ground."

Mr Ciolac became "possessive and fixated" on officer A, PC Peach said, and walked towards him before a shot was fired at a distance of "about one metre", he told the hearing.

Mr Ciolac, who worked as a builder, was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham before being pronounced dead.

The inquest continues.

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