PRETORIA — South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is facing a murder charge after his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead at his home in Pretoria. Police confirmed that a friend of Pistorius was killed at his home in the early hours of yesterday morning.
BBC Sport
They said a 26-year-old man was due in court, but this has been delayed until this morning at 7am. Police do not name suspects until they appear in court. Pistorius (26) was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics.
The precise circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear. Some reports said that 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.
Steenkamp’s publicist confirmed to the BBC that the 29-year-old model had died.
“Everyone who knew her is in tears. She was an absolute angel, the sweetest, sweetest human being, a kind human being,” Sarit Tomlinson said.
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The news that Pistorius may have killed his girlfriend will shock the country as the athlete is regarded as one of South Africa’s national icons, reports the BBC’s Peter Biles from Cape Town.
The incident is said to have taken place between 4:00am and 5:00am local time (2:00-3:00GMT).
A police statement said that a woman was “fatally wounded” in the early hours of yesterdaymorning at a home in a high-security compound 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.
The athlete’s home is in the secure up-market Silver Woods gated compound on the outskirts of Pretoria.
Known as the “blade runner”, Pistorius races wearing carbon fibre prosthetic blades after he was born without a fibula in both legs and had his legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday.
