A man who was fatally shot by a firearms officer after brandishing a knife in a police station car park, smashing windows and hitting police cars was lawfully killed, an inquest jury has found.
Marius Ciolac was shot in the abdomen outside Ascot Drive police station in Derby on the morning of October 7 2022 after entering the compound holding a blade and a cat in a pet carrier bag.
Mr Ciolac, a 35-year-old builder who was originally from Romania, smashed through the first layer of the station’s double glazed windows with the knife, appeared to “lick” the blade at officers through the door, and hit police cars before the two armed officers arrived, Derby Coroners Court had heard.
The court was told that the officer, whose identity is protected by an anonymity order and was referred to as Officer A, fired the gun between 18 and 22 seconds after he entered the car park with another armed officer, called Officer B.
The officer said he told Mr Ciolac to drop the knife, but did not say he was armed police, before he ran at him with the weapon raised.
He told the jury he had felt he was “left with no choice” after other less lethal options, including a Taser and a stun grenade, were unsuccessful.
Following the three-week inquest, the jury returned a conclusion on Thursday that Mr Ciolac was lawfully killed, Derbyshire Police said.
In a statement, Deputy Chief Constable Simon Blatchly said: “The tragic set of circumstances that took place on 7 October 2022, at Ascot Drive have had a long-lasting effect on all those involved.
“And, following the conclusion of the inquest into Mr Ciolac’s death, my thoughts and condolences remain with his family and friends.
“As was heard during the three weeks of evidence and witness testimony, the situation that was faced that day was unprecedented.
“Officers take an oath to protect life, and they did all they could to protect themselves, their colleagues, the public and, ultimately, Mr Ciolac.
“Having seen the footage from the incident, it is clear that significant attempts were made to negotiate with Mr Ciolac and bring the incident to a safe conclusion.
“They had attempted to use Taser, with no effect, and as he attempted to smash his way into the station, the decision was made that, due to the risk posed, armed officers had to be deployed.
“When officers arrived, they used a stun grenade and a baton round in a further attempt to use all the less lethal options to stop Mr Ciolac.
“However, for reasons that remain unclear, within 20 seconds of armed officers walking into the car park at Ascot Drive, Mr Ciolac rushed towards one of the officers armed with a knife, leaving him with no other option than to fire his weapon.
“Once Mr Ciolac was restrained, officers immediately began to undertake first aid and paramedics were on the scene in a matter of minutes.”
Mr Blatchly said the use of a firearm by an officer in Derbyshire is an “extremely rare event”.
He said: “That small number is testament to the high bar set for the use of a firearm, and the extensive training that is undertaken by officers to resolve matters through less lethal means.
“When an incident of this nature takes place, there is rightly a robust investigation undertaken by the Independent Office for Police Conduct which, after reviewing footage and the statements by all those at the scene, found that the force used by the officers, including the officer who discharged their firearm, was proportionate.
“All the officers who ran towards danger on that Friday morning were clear that they had to protect their colleagues, the public and try, to the best of their abilities, to ensure that Mr Ciolac did not come to harm.
“While they understand they will attend potentially dangerous incidents, this was unlike anything that many had been exposed to – and the impact has been significant.
“Those officers, as well as civilian staff inside the building, are not robots, they are mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sisters and brothers. And while they understand the risks that their roles may place them in – it does not mean that they do not feel fear.
“I am immensely proud of the manner in which they conducted themselves that day and their attempts, at serious risk to themselves, to bring the incident to a safe conclusion and we will continue to support those officers and staff affected.”