Paralympic and Olympic star Oscar Pistorius has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend, who was shot dead at his home in South Africa.
Reports had claimed that Pistorius accidentally mistook his model girfriend Reeva Steenkamp for a burglar, shooting her four times in the head and arm.
Police now have 48 hours to question him and continue investigations before he is brought into court. Pistorius could appear in court as early as this afternoon, according to police spokeswoman Sarah Mcira.
Police spokesman Katlego Mogale had earlier said: “A 26-year-old man had been taken into custody for shooting a 30-year-old woman.
“The deceased was shot four times and died on the scene. It is believed that she was the girlfriend of the accused.”
South African journalist Kalay Maistry told Sky News she believed his 30-year-old Steenkamp had come into the house to surprise him for Valentine’s Day.
“He thought his girlfriend, who had come in to try to surprise him for Valentine’s Day, was an intruder,” Maistry said. “I think what this actually highlights is the level of fear ordinary South Africans have.
“This is a man who has gone to bed, it’s an innocent surprise from a girlfriend… and the moment he thinks someone is trying to break in he grabs his gun. This has come as a complete surprise for a man who’s considered a national hero.”
Paramedics were called to Pistorius’s home between 4am and 5am local time, with police arriving shortly afterwards to recover a 9mm pistol from the scene.
Reeva Steenkamp was reported to have been dating Pistorius for a year.
Born in Cape Town in August 1983, Reeva Steenkamp, was a well-known South African model who featured on the cover of the local FHM magazine.
The model, who also held a law degree, was the first face of cosmetics company Avon South Africa and shot for several lead brands incuding Toyota.
According to her facebook page, Steenkamp was to appear as the lead on a new reality TV show. Steenkamp had been dating Pistorius since late last year.
They were pictured together at the SA Sport Awards, shortly after Pistorius had broken up with his former girlfriend, Samantha Taylor.
At the time, she brushed off their relationship, saying they were just friends, but soon after the two became one of the hottest new couples in South Africa.
In the social pages of last weekend’s Sunday Independent, she described Pistorius as having “impeccable” taste.
“His gifts are always thoughtful,” she was quoted as saying.
In the days leading up to her death Reeva Steenkamp’s excitement about Valentine’s Day was clear. But
February 14 ended up going terribly wrong for the 30-year-old. She was shot dead after her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius allegedly mistook her for an intruder.
Steenkamp tweeted just hours before her death: ‘What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow??? #getexcited #ValentinesDay’.
Steenkamp, who was a former FHM model, grew up in Port Elizabeth, where she studied law, but later moved to Johannesburg after signing a deal with cosmetics company Avon. She went on to feature in various advertising campaigns.
Her father was Barry Steenkamp, a well-known horse trainer related to famous South African trainers the Amos brothers.
Sarit Tomlinson, Steenkamp’s publicist, told Sky News: “She was the sweetest human being and an absolute angel on earth. She was the kindest, most unbelievable girl.
“They had been together for a couple of months and it had been a healthy, fabulous relationship. At the moment it’s shocking. No-one knows what’s happened.
“She was a rising star. There was so much in the pipeline for her: she was just about to explode into the media.”
‘She was a very talented, very bright young girl. It’s too shocking for words. We’ll miss her so much, too much. Our condolences go to her family.’
Pistorius recently took a New York Times reporter to a shooting range with a 9mm handgun. The article which followed reads: ‘Pistorius was a good coach. A couple of my shots got close to the bull’s-eye, which delighted him. “Maybe you should do this more,” he said. “If you practiced, I think you could be pretty deadly.” I asked him how often he came to the range. “Just sometimes when I can’t sleep,” he said.’
Peet van Zyl, Pistorius’ manager who assisted at the scene on Thursday morning, said he would not comment.
‘I can only confirm there was an incident and a woman was killed,’ Van Zyl told Beeld. ‘I do not want to speculate about what happened.’
Arnu Fourie, Pistorius’ room-mate during last year’s Paralympics, said shortly after he heard the news, ‘my heart is broken for Oscar’.
Fourie said after he practised on Thursday morning in Stellenbosch that he had dozens of messages on his phone about the incident.
‘I feel for Oscar and the girl’s family, I pray for him and her family, I can not imagine how they feel,’ Fourie added.
‘Poor Oscar in his life had so many disappointments and tough times. Now. My heart is broken.’
The International Paralympic Committee expressed sorrow on hearing of the incident. In a statement, it said: ‘Following the news of the alleged shooting incident involving South African athlete Oscar Pistorius this morning, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will not be passing any comment on the case at this time.
‘This is a police matter, with a formal investigation currently underway. Therefore it would be inappropriate for the IPC to comment on this incident until the official police process has concluded.
Pistorius, known as the ‘Blade Runner’, is the most famous Paralympic athlete in the world. The 26-year-old is a six-times Paralympic gold medallist and became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics at 2012, where he took part in the 400m.
Pistorius dominated at successive Paralympic Games after winning medals at the 2004 Athens Games. Last year, Time Magazine named him as one of the world’s 100 most influential people.
The athlete’s home is in the Silverwoods estate in eastern Pretoria, and is a high security compound with electrified walls, a guarded entrance and regular patrols.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of violent crime, and many homeowners possess weapons to defend themselves against intruders.
In 2004, Springbok rugby player Rudi Visagie shot dead his 19-year-old daughter after he mistakenly thought she was a robber trying to steal his car in the middle of the night.
Pistorius did not answer his mobile phone on Thursday. His agent told Reuters he had not spoken to the runner but his lawyers were with him.
Runner’s World magazine editor Mike Finch, speaking from South Africa, told Sky News: “If anybody can overcome this sort of thing it’s probably Oscar.
“He’s had to deal with a lot in his life. He had a mother that died when he was very young, he obviously has his disability, but yet he’s been amazing from a South African perspective as an ambassador.
“There is a certain school of people that don’t particularly like him, but I think today everybody has kind of rallied round him.”
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