The brother of Marius Ciolac, the man who was fatally shot by Derbyshire Police, said he "could not believe it was Marius" even after seeing his body. Alin Ciolac, from Romania, flew to England on Sunday (October 16) to formally identify his brother's body.
Alin, who is 36 years old and a dad of a nine-month-old girl, said Marius was "unrecognisable, completely changed, and it was hard to believe that it was him". A more recent image of his brother - sent over by Marius' ex-girlfriend - has eventually convinced him it was his brother.
Marius, 35, suffered a single bullet wound to the abdomen after being shot by an armed police officer. A Taser, baton round and a stun grenade were used in an attempt to stop Marius who was, according to Derbyshire police, wielding a knife and damaging property outside the Ascot Drive police station in Derby on the morning of Friday, October 7.
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Alin was the first family member to learn about his brother's death from the police in Romania. He was also the first one to see Marius' body after Marius was pronounced dead at Leicester Royal Infirmary.
Speaking in Romanian to Nottinghamshire Live, he added: "I thought that maybe it was someone else who somehow had Marius' ID on them. Even when I saw the body, I did not recognise him.
"He was unrecognisable, completely changed and it was hard to believe that it was him. I was only allowed to see his face and he had a beard - which he has never had before. His cheeks were still pink, and he looked like he was asleep."
The last conversation between the two brothers was just over a year ago, on October 10, 2021. It was only after he saw a more recent photo of Marius when the shock hit him.
The Romanian dad said he was taken to Marius' home, where he found his driving licence that confirmed his fears. "I realised that it was really Marius - and that this was his home.
"He lived at the address for three years - but his home was also unrecognisable. It was basically empty, and some rubbish that was left downstairs was actually his stuff," he added.
The devastated brother learned that Marius had not paid his rent in three months. Alin added: "His TV, his laptop, everything was gone. I think he must have sold everything to make money for his rent.
"His house was empty and I could not find any of the things he owned. His garden was a mess, and you could actually see the police station from his garden."
His family said that Mr Ciolac worked as a builder, and also had a passion for tattooing. He also had two cats which he would refer to as "my children".
Alin added: "He was extremely lonely and depressed. He would often end up the calls saying 'I need to feed the children'. I would be confused and then he told me that they are his cats.
"Police told me that Marius also had a bag with a cat inside when he tried to sneak into the police station. I told them that they have my permission to give the cat to a rescuer."
Alin said he was hoping to find Marius' laptop or phone in order to find out what happened to him. "In the last two or three years, he was very depressed.
"I am sorry for what happened and the whole family is just very disappointed. One thing I regret is that he never asked for help. He never told us how serious it was, he never told us his life was over. We have always been available to him - he was never available whenever we tried to reach out to him.
"I have only had a pipe from him, which was a present from our dad - and then he gave it to me. I have donated all his clothes to charity, but kept a phone charger and some wires."
He described Marius as a "rebellious, solitary and very disappointed" individual. "We were all four siblings - three boys including Marius and I, and also another brother, and then also our sister.
"Our parents separated when I was six. I grew up with my sister and our mum and Marius, the youngest, moved in with our brother and my dad. We grew apart. I think he had a very sad, lonely childhood. And then I think it just got worse over time."
The family are seeking closure through the ongoing police investigation. Meanwhile, arrangements were made to repatriate Marius' body which is expected to land back to his home country on Thursday, October 27. The family said they have paid 2,800 Euros for his repatriation.
The Samaritans run a free 24/7 helpline on 116 123
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