Man shot by police was lawfully killed, inquest finds

A man who was fatally shot by armed officers after entering a police station car park holding a knife and a bag with a cat inside was lawfully killed, an inquest has found.

A jury reached a conclusion on Thursday after hearing evidence into the death of Marius Ciolac, who was shot outside Ascot Drive police station in Derby on the morning of 7 October 2022.

The three-week inquest heard Mr Ciolac, originally from Cernavoda in Romania, entered the police station compound through a sliding gate at about 10:00 BST before a Taser, a baton round and a stun grenade were used, and he was shot in the abdomen minutes later.

Mr Ciolac’s family previously described the 35-year-old as “sweet and gentle”, and told the jury he had a difficult childhood.

Reading out their conclusion at Derby Coroner’s Court on Thursday, the jury outlined the events as they unfolded in October 2022.

Mr Ciolac entered the car park holding a knife in one hand and a bag containing a cat in the other.

He brandished his knife, caused damage to the police station and did not respond to officers’ commands despite “understanding English well”, the jury said.

The Taser used on him was ineffective due to the thickness of his clothes, the hearing was told.

Armed officers responded to the scene with both lethal and unlethal options, the jury said.

The conclusion read out in court stated Mr Ciolac was moving towards the armed officers “with purpose”.