A man who was fatally shot by armed officers in a police station car park had earlier been tackled with a stun grenade, baton round and Taser – but to no effect, the police watchdog has said. Romanian national Marius Ciolac, 35, died from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), citing provisional post-mortem findings.
Giving an update on its investigation, the IOPC said armed officers from Derbyshire Police were called by colleagues to Ascot Drive police station in Derby at 9.55am on Friday. Officers at the station reported a man with a knife in the car park, who was smashing glass in the entrance door and nearby windows.
The IOPC said “attempts were made to stop him, including use of a multi-bang stun grenade, discharge of a baton round and a Taser, before a police firearm was discharged at about 10.03am”.
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Mr Ciolac was given first aid by officers and paramedics at the scene, and taken to hospital in Nottingham, but died later that morning. The IOPC said: “Three knives of various sizes were recovered from the scene.”
Mr Ciolac had no family in the UK, according to the watchdog who said formal identification had yet to take place. The round fired by officers will now be subject to ballistics tests, and a “large amount” of body-worn video footage from responding police will also be studied by investigators.
IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said: “We have made contact with Mr Ciolac’s family in Romania and Italy to explain our role, and our heartfelt sympathies are with them and everyone else affected by this tragic incident.
“A lot of rumour about the tragic events of Friday morning has been reported and while it is natural for people to want answers quickly about what happened, I would ask that people show patience and refrain from further speculation out of respect for Mr Ciolac’s family and for everyone involved.
“We are committed to carrying out a full and thorough investigation of all the circumstances. While there is still a lot of work to do, we have gathered initial accounts from the officers involved and other witnesses from the emergency services.
“CCTV footage has been reviewed and we are gathering a large amount of police body-worn video. We are also in the process of contacting members of the public identified as potential witnesses, who may be able to assist our inquiries.”
All police officers are currently being treated as witnesses, the IOPC added. An inquest will follow in due course, although no opening hearing date has yet been fixed.
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