A man who lunged at police with a knife died from a “gunshot wound to the abdomen”, an inquest has heard.
Marius Ciolac, a 35-year-old builder, was shot as he “rushed firearms officers” during an incident at a police station in Derby on October, 7, 2022.
Ciolac, who was carrying a cat inside of a carrier bag, was repeatedly told to “drop the knife” by police.
On the first day of the inquest into his death - January, 22 - a jury was shown footage of Ciolac, a Romanian national, running toward officers with a knife while in the car park of Ascot Drive police station.
The footage comprising of CCTV, phone, and body cam video shows officers failing to stop Cialoc with other methods including taser, stun grenade and baton rounds which “did not make contact,” before shooting him.
Dr Frances Hollingbury, a forensic pathologist called by the Assistant Coroner Sabyta Kaushal, said that officers “discharged a single shot which struck the male in the torso.”
She told the jury the bullet caused injury to the small bowel and Ciolac suffered “extensive bleeding to soft tissue… that resulted in death.”
The footage shows Ciolac is handcuffed and searched for weapons when police find a second knife.
The jury were told Ciolac suffered a cardiac arrest at 10.23am and despite paramedics restoring his heart on the way to the hospital, “he did not wake up.”
At 11.12am Ciolac suffered a second cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham at 11.25am.
In conducting the post-mortem, Dr Hollingbury highlighted “22 areas of recent injury” on Ciolac’s body, but could not detail the age of the wounds.
Dr Hollingbury recorded the medical cause of death as gunshot wound to abdomen. Aside from caffeine, a toxicology report found no “drugs of significance detected” with “no evidence (Marius Ciolac) was under influence.”
A mandatory IOPC investigation into the incident remains active.
Armed officers were called to Ascot Drive police station, Derby in October 2022 to reports of man brandishing a knife, damaging police cars and windows.
Officers can be seen pointing tasers at Ciolac as he shoulder barges through a pane of glass near an entrance into the police station. After, officers can be heard saying “taser has not been effective.”
A second witness, Inspector Dave Mason, Chief Firearms Instructor at Derbyshire Police was queried on the training firearms officers are given regarding deescalation, stating: “if you’re faced with immediate threat, you might not have time to deescalate.”
Asked what force officers are trained to use by Derbyshire Constabulary barrister Stephen Morley, Insp Dave Mason responded, force that is “proportionate and reasonable.”
When asked if officers are taught to fire at an arm or a leg, Insp Mason responded “no”, stating all officers are trained to “aim for the torso”.
Continuing he said, firearms officers are “trained to try to enter negotiations with a subject” and “try to achieve a successful resolution without resorting to force.”
Wearing all black, Ciolac can be seen on CCTV gaining access to the station’s car park by an open vehicle gate, which automatically closed behind him. An edited version of footage shown in court is expected to be released to the public at a later date.
Assistant Coroner for Derby and Derbyshire Sabyta Kaushal told the inquest, which was attended by Ciolac’s family remotely, “nobody is on trial” the court is “establishing the facts” surrounding Marius Ciolac’s death.
Instructing the jury, she added the inquest will assess “appropriate or inappropriate use of force” and “processes and policies in place… responding to Marius Ciolac” and “if they were followed” by officers.
The inquest, which opened on November 7, 2022, is expected to last four weeks.
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Marius Ciolac, a 35-year-old builder, was shot as he “rushed firearms officers” during an incident at a police station in Derby on October, 7, 2022.
Ciolac, who was carrying a cat inside of a carrier bag, was repeatedly told to “drop the knife” by police.
On the first day of the inquest into his death - January, 22 - a jury was shown footage of Ciolac, a Romanian national, running toward officers with a knife while in the car park of Ascot Drive police station.
The footage comprising of CCTV, phone, and body cam video shows officers failing to stop Cialoc with other methods including taser, stun grenade and baton rounds which “did not make contact,” before shooting him.
Dr Frances Hollingbury, a forensic pathologist called by the Assistant Coroner Sabyta Kaushal, said that officers “discharged a single shot which struck the male in the torso.”
She told the jury the bullet caused injury to the small bowel and Ciolac suffered “extensive bleeding to soft tissue… that resulted in death.”
The footage shows Ciolac is handcuffed and searched for weapons when police find a second knife.
The jury were told Ciolac suffered a cardiac arrest at 10.23am and despite paramedics restoring his heart on the way to the hospital, “he did not wake up.”
At 11.12am Ciolac suffered a second cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham at 11.25am.
In conducting the post-mortem, Dr Hollingbury highlighted “22 areas of recent injury” on Ciolac’s body, but could not detail the age of the wounds.
Dr Hollingbury recorded the medical cause of death as gunshot wound to abdomen. Aside from caffeine, a toxicology report found no “drugs of significance detected” with “no evidence (Marius Ciolac) was under influence.”
A mandatory IOPC investigation into the incident remains active.
Armed officers were called to Ascot Drive police station, Derby in October 2022 to reports of man brandishing a knife, damaging police cars and windows.
Officers can be seen pointing tasers at Ciolac as he shoulder barges through a pane of glass near an entrance into the police station. After, officers can be heard saying “taser has not been effective.”
A second witness, Inspector Dave Mason, Chief Firearms Instructor at Derbyshire Police was queried on the training firearms officers are given regarding deescalation, stating: “if you’re faced with immediate threat, you might not have time to deescalate.”
Asked what force officers are trained to use by Derbyshire Constabulary barrister Stephen Morley, Insp Dave Mason responded, force that is “proportionate and reasonable.”
When asked if officers are taught to fire at an arm or a leg, Insp Mason responded “no”, stating all officers are trained to “aim for the torso”.
Continuing he said, firearms officers are “trained to try to enter negotiations with a subject” and “try to achieve a successful resolution without resorting to force.”
Wearing all black, Ciolac can be seen on CCTV gaining access to the station’s car park by an open vehicle gate, which automatically closed behind him. An edited version of footage shown in court is expected to be released to the public at a later date.
Assistant Coroner for Derby and Derbyshire Sabyta Kaushal told the inquest, which was attended by Ciolac’s family remotely, “nobody is on trial” the court is “establishing the facts” surrounding Marius Ciolac’s death.
Instructing the jury, she added the inquest will assess “appropriate or inappropriate use of force” and “processes and policies in place… responding to Marius Ciolac” and “if they were followed” by officers.
The inquest, which opened on November 7, 2022, is expected to last four weeks.
Find Out More...