A son of one of the victims of the Nottingham attacks told a public inquiry he discovered his father had been killed after receiving an Instagram message from a family friend.
Valdo Calocane murdered three people in the early hours of 13 June 2023, killing 19-year-olds Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar before travelling across the city and stabbing 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates.
Calocane attacked the students at about 04:00 on Ilkeston Road and then reached Magdala Road, where Ian was killed at 05:14.
He then took Ian's van and struck people in the city centre.
Police arrived in Magdala Road shortly before 05:40, the inquiry was told.
Ian's sons, James and Lee, said they only learned of his death through messages and informal channels and were not officially informed by police until late afternoon, around 17:00 BST, shortly before Nottinghamshire Police announced the deaths publicly.
James said an Instagram message from a family friend read that she could not believe what had happened to their dad.
He initially suspected it was a hoax and tried calling relatives and emergency numbers for confirmation before telling his brother he feared their father was dead.
Both brothers described repeatedly ringing 101, using the police helpline and even calling 999 in attempts to get information that day.
They added police first contacted them about 10 minutes before then chief constable Kate Meynell appeared at a televised press briefing.
The inquiry also heard that Ian's body remained at the scene for around 15 hours after he was killed.
Family members said they felt overlooked by authorities across the aftermath of the attacks.
James, Lee and their elder brother Darren learned about a council-organised vigil on 16 June from a Sky News journalist.
They said they had not been given official invitations and only took part after family members contacted Nottingham City Council.
Ian's partner, Elaine Newton, told the inquiry she was initially told by officers that Ian had died in a road traffic incident.
Hours later, when family liaison staff arrived, she was informed he had been stabbed.
She described the conflicting messages as deeply upsetting.
The hearings at Mary Ward House in London are being led by retired judge Deborah Taylor KC and are examining the lead-up to, and response after, the killings.
James and Lee were the first bereaved family members to give evidence on Tuesday.
The inquiry continues.
