Oscar Pistorius 'shoots girlfriend'

[busybeeburns]

 

Oscar Pistorius 'shoots girlfriend'

 

South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been arrested over the fatal shooting of his girlfriend at his home in Pretoria, local media say.

 

Police said a 26-year-old man, who they have not named, was in custody and a case of murder was being investigated.

 

The precise circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear. Reports say he may have mistaken her for a burglar.

 

Pistorius, 26, is known as the "blade runner", and was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics.

 

The news that he may have killed his girlfriend will shock the country as Pistorius is regarded as one of South Africa's national icons, reports the BBC's Peter Biles from Capetown.

 

The incident is said to have taken place between 04:00 and 05:00 local time (02:00-03:00 GMT).

 

A police statement said that a 30-year-old woman was "fatally wounded" in the early hours of Thursday morning at a home in the Silverlakes complex in the Boschkop area of the capital.

 

The woman had been wounded in her head and upper body. Paramedics were at the house when police arrived, but she died at the scene. A 9mm pistol was recovered.

 

South Africa has among the highest rates of crime in the world and many residents keep weapons to protect themselves against intruders.

 

But the country also has a careful vetting process before awarding gun licenses, Erika Gibson of Beeld newspaper told the BBC.

 

Pistorius races wearing carbon fibre prosthetic blades after he was born without a fibula in both legs.

 

He reached the 400m semi-finals in the London 2012 Olympics. At the Paralympics he won silver in the T44 200m, gold in the 4x100 relay and gold in the T44 400m, setting a Paralympic record.

 

For years he dominated in his category at successive Paralympic Games.

 

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee said it had been inundated with questions over the incident, but was in no position to comment.

 

Ed Warner, head of UK Athletics also reiterated that little was known about the incident but described the reports as "shocking and very sad," adding that: "Pistorius is one of the great icons of Paralympic athletics but also of able-bodied athletics too".

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21455453

[Tash]

Update from the BBC:

 

The precise circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear. Some reports said that Mr Pistorius may have mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder.

 

But police said they were "surprised" to hear reports that the deceased had been mistaken for a burglar.

 

They added that there had been previous incidents at the address and described them as "allegations of a domestic nature". Police also said that they had been interviewing witnesses and that they would oppose any bail application.

 

:uhoh:

[Tnspieler1012]

well...

[NumbersGirl]

This morning, the news they mentioned that neighbors heard them arguing that night of the shooting, so yeah I highly doubt the "mistaken for an intruder" scenario.

[busybeeburns]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMN5MdZ7wkg]Oscar Pistorius Could Spend Life In Jail As Prosecutors Pursue Premeditated Murder Charge - YouTube[/ame]

 

Oscar Pistorius denies Reeva Steenkamp South Africa murder

 

South African Olympic and Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius has strongly rejected a charge that he murdered his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

 

Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, was shot dead at Mr Pistorius's home near Pretoria on Thursday.

 

Appearing in court in Pretoria, Mr Pistorius wept as prosecutors vowed to pursue a charge of premeditated murder.

 

An application for bail was postponed until next Tuesday and the athlete will remain in police custody.

 

Dubbed "blade runner", he made history last summer by becoming the first double-amputee track athlete to run in an Olympic Games.

 

"The alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms", said a statement released by Mr Pistorius's family and management company after the court hearing.

 

"Our thoughts and prayers today should be for Reeva and her family - regardless of the circumstances of this terrible, terrible tragedy," it said.

 

They were the first words released on behalf of the 26-year-old athlete since Ms Steenkamp was found fatally wounded at his home in the gated Silver Woods development outside the South African capital.

 

But they gave no explanation of what had happened.

 

'Traumatised'

 

Hours earlier, Mr Pistorius sobbed audibly during his initial appearance at Pretoria Magistrates Court.

 

Dozens of reporters witnessed the hearing, where chief magistrate Desmond Nair was presiding.

 

The BBC's Andrew Harding, who was there, said the defendant cut a lonely figure in a crowded court, with his hands clenched and his neck muscles twitching, before he held his head forward, breathing heavily through tears.

 

When Prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued for the graver charge of "premeditated murder", Mr Pistorius slumped forward at the mention of the words.

 

If convicted of premeditated murder, the athlete will face a life term in prison. But his defence is seeking a lesser charge, possibly culpable homicide, which is defined in South African law as unlawful, negligent killing.

 

Media access was discussed at the 40-minute session and the magistrate ruled that there should be no live recording of the bail hearings.

 

Mr Pistorius's team had argued against such coverage and cited his "extremely traumatised state of mind".

 

Both prosecution and defence agreed Mr Pistorius could remain in custody at a police station and not in prison.

 

Members of Mr Pistorius's family, including sister Aimee, brother Carl and father Henke, were in the courtroom.

 

His brother and father, sitting behind the athlete, reached forward to touch his shoulder during the proceedings.

 

Mr Pistorius had earlier arrived at court in the back of a police vehicle, hiding his face with a jacket and notebook.

 

Forensic scientists are expected to continue examining the house in the Silver Lakes area on the outskirts of South Africa's administrative capital where Ms Steenkamp, 29, died.

 

Correspondents say the athlete's arrest has stunned the country where he is considered a national hero.

 

He is known as "blade runner" because of the carbon fibre prosthetic blades he races in. He was born without a fibula in both legs and had his legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday.

 

Police were called to his home in the early hours of Thursday morning.

 

They found paramedics treating a 29-year-old woman with four gunshot wounds to the head and upper body. She died at the scene, and officers recovered a 9mm pistol.

 

A post-mortem examination was carried out on Friday but the results would not be made public, police said.

 

Ms Steenkamp's body is due to be flown home to Port Elizabeth for a memorial service next Tuesday, South African media report - the same day that Oscar Pistorius is next expected in court. They had reportedly been dating since November.

 

The model was already well known in South Africa but was seen as being on the verge of a new career, with her appearance in a pre-recorded reality TV show set to start on Saturday.

 

The producers of Tropika Island of Treasure said they were going ahead with the programme, filmed in Jamaica, after "much deliberation".

 

"Every episode that she is in, every frame that she so ably dominates - shines with her light and her laughter echoes in every conversation, and we want to share these special memories with the rest of South Africa." the programme said.

 

Meanwhile, world athletics figures spoke of their shock at what had happened.

 

His training partner, UK 400m runner Martyn Rooney, released a statement saying his "thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of those involved".

 

"I've not heard what he has to say. I wouldn't want to be in his situation, but I hope that, at the end of it all, justice will prevail," said Jamaica's Olympic women's 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

 

Mr Pistorius dominated in his category at successive Paralympic Games, but in 2008 he won a legal battle over his blades - which critics said gave him an unfair advantage - with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for the right to compete in able-bodied competitions.

 

He reached the 400m semi-finals in the London 2012 Olympics. At the Paralympics he won silver in the T44 200m, gold in the 4x100 relay and gold in the T44 400m, setting a Paralympic record.

 

South Africa has one of the highest rates of crime in the world and many residents keep weapons to protect themselves against intruders.

 

But gun ownership is strictly regulated and it is not easy to obtain a licence.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21475873

[Reilly]

This morning, the news they mentioned that neighbors heard them arguing that night of the shooting, so yeah I highly doubt the "mistaken for an intruder" scenario.

 

He shot her four times only to then realise it wasn't a burglar, right...

[NumbersGirl]

He shot her four times only to then realise it wasn't a burglar, right...

And people in the midst of rage / crime of passion only ever stab/shoot somebody once, right...

[The Final Track]

Very sad. He was a role model for so many.

[Batman]

Poor girlfriend :(

[coldplaymom]

Sad situation all over. I'm still hoping it was an accident.

[busybeeburns]

 

Oscar Pistorius 'thought he was firing at intruder'

 

South African athletics star Oscar Pistorius has denied murdering his girlfriend, saying he shot her by mistake thinking she was an intruder.

 

He told a packed bail hearing in Pretoria that he loved Reeva Steenkamp and had never intended to kill her. Prosecutors accuse Mr Pistorius of premeditated murder. They say he shot his girlfriend dead deliberately, firing through a locked bathroom door.

 

The hearing came as Ms Steenkamp's family held her funeral. The case has shocked South Africans and many around the world who admire Oscar Pistorius for overcoming adversity to become a Paralympic champion.

 

Tuesday's hearing began with the prosecution giving its account of the killing, which it says was premeditated murder by the 26-year-old athlete at his home in Pretoria. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court that in the early hours of the morning of 14 February, Mr Pistorius - a double amputee - had got up from bed, put on his prostheses, and fired his pistol through the locked door of the bathroom.

 

He shot four times and hit Ms Steenkamp three times, Mr Nel said. He added that the defendant later broke down the bathroom door with a cricket bat and carried the body downstairs.

 

Defence lawyer Barry Roux then read a sworn statement from Mr Pistorius, saying the couple had been "deeply in love". The couple went to sleep shortly after 22:00, the statement said.

 

In the middle of the night, Mr Pistorius woke up and went to the balcony because he thought he had heard an intruder, it added. "It was pitch-dark in the bedroom. I did not have my prosthetic legs on and felt extremely vulnerable."

 

According to the statement, Mr Pistorius thought Ms Steenkamp was still in bed, and he fired through the bathroom door, believing he was shooting at a robber. When he realised Ms Steenkamp was not in the bed, "it filled me with horror and fear", it said.

 

Mr Pistorius broke the door down to find his girlfriend shot inside. "She died in my arms," the statement said. "I am absolutely mortified at the death of my beloved Reeva".

 

The athlete wept in court as the statement was read out. The hearing was later adjourned until Wednesday. Meanwhile, the private funeral for the 29-year-old model and law graduate was held in her home town of Port Elizabeth. Her father, Barry Steenkamp, told reporters: "We have to keep Reeva in our hearts forever".

 

Her brother Adam said there was "a space missing" inside all the people she knew. The case has aroused huge interest both in South Africa, where Oscar Pistorius is regarded as a national hero, and around the world. He is a multiple Paralympic champion, winning gold medals at the 2004 Games in Athens, at Beijing 2008 and at London 2012. In London he made history by becoming the first double amputee to run in the Olympics, progressing to the semi-finals of the 400m.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21503370

[Reilly]

^It's hard to tell what's true because South African media aren't held accountable by law, but didn't he say that his girlfriend was planning a valentine surprise and sneaking into his flat? Yes, a valentine surprise by locking herself in the bathroom.

 

I'm too lazy to check.

[busybeeburns]

 

Oscar Pistorius granted bail in Reeva Steenkamp case

 

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, who faces murder charges over the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, has been granted bail after a four-day hearing.

 

Magistrate Desmond Nair said the state had not made a case that he would flee, or that he had a violent character. The Paralympic champion denies murder, saying he shot Reeva Steenkamp thinking she was an intruder at his home.

 

The next hearing in the case has been set for 4 June. Bail was set at 1m rand (£74,000; $113,000). He was ordered to hand over his passport, avoid his home in Pretoria and report to a police station between 07:00 and 13:00 every Monday and Friday. Mr Nair took almost two hours to deliver his judgement.

 

He criticised the testimony of Detective Hilton Botha for not following up important leads and changing his evidence. But the magistrate also said he had difficulty understanding why Mr Pistorius had opened fire in the way he did.

 

However, he said Mr Pistorius had "reached out to meet the state's case" and had given a full version of events at an early stage. "I come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be released on bail," he said.

 

Mr Pistorius's family and supporters in the court gasped and cheered as the magistrate announced his decision. His uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said outside court: "We are relieved by the fact that Oscar got bail today, but at the same time, we are in mourning for Reeva Steenkamp and her family."

 

The hearing began on Tuesday and both prosecution and defence laid out their cases. Both sides agree that Mr Pistorius shot through the bathroom door four times, hitting and killing Ms Steenkamp.

 

But prosecutors allege the shooting happened after the couple had an argument at Mr Pistorius's home in the early hours of 14 February. Det Botha told the court that witnesses had heard shouting, screaming and gunfire from about 600m (2,000ft) away. But later he changed his evidence to suggest the witnesses were much closer.

 

And on Thursday it emerged that Det Botha faces allegations of attempted murder, and he was removed from the case.

 

Mr Pistorius says he woke in the middle of the night, and thought there was an intruder in the bathroom. The prosecutors sought to portray Mr Pistorius as man with a history of violence who was likely to flee the country.

 

But the defence argued it would be impossible for Mr Pistorius to flee because his prosthetic legs would be noticed wherever he went. Ms Steenkamp, 29, was a model and law graduate with a burgeoning television career.

 

Oscar Pistorius, 26, won gold medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. In London he made history by becoming the first double-amputee to run in the Olympics, making the semi-final of the 400m.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21548865