PARALYMPIC star Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder after reportedly shooting his girlfriend dead having mistakenly thought she was a burglar.
According to reports, the South African hero, 26, shot Reeva Steenkamp, 30, in the head and arm at 4am this morning.
There was speculation the shooting may have been a Valentine’s Day surprise gone wrong at the property in the Silver Woods Country Estate in Pretoria.
Cops now have 48 hours to question him and continue investigations before he is brought before the court.
Talk Radio 702 host Kribani Pillay in Johannesburg said Pistorius told police that he thought the woman was an intruder.
Miss Pillay said the area around Pistorius’ home was “teeming” with emergency services, media and onlookers.
A police spokesperson said Pistorius was "traumatised after losing someone close to him".
Yesterday, Miss Steenkamp fatefully posted a tweet about Valentine's Day, writing: "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow???"
The last tweet she posted on her Twitter account read "I'm there like a bear!!! Yayyyy!!!! X" after a friend invited her round for afternoon tea and cupcakes.
A 9mm pistol was recovered. According to unconfirmed reports four shots were fired.
A spokeswoman said: “I can confirm that a woman has been fatally wounded in a shooting at Oscar Pistorius’s house.
“A 26-year-old man has been taken into custody.”
Police spokesman Katlego Mogale said: “At this stage we are still conducting a preliminary inquiry. Statements are conducted with neighbours and people who were at the scene. A case of murder was being investigated.”
He added: “Paramedics declared the woman dead on the scene and police proceeded with their investigation.
“The woman sustained wounds to her head and the upper body.”
Mogale said police were called following a shooting at a townhouse complex in the Silverlakes district.
“When police arrived they found the paramedics attending to the woman. The paramedics declared the woman dead on the scene and police proceeded with their investigation of the scene,” he said.
He said a 26-year-old man was expected to appear at Pretoria Magistrate’s Court later today.
Entertainment show Tropika Island of Treasure, which stars Miss Steenkamp and was due to be broadcast this weekend, has posted a tribute to her on its website.
It said: “We are deeply saddened and extend our condolences to Reeva’s family and friends.”
Miss Steenkamp 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 model for FHM and feature in various advertising campaigns.
The Cape Town-born model described herself as someone who has "a passion for cars and cooking and prefers to read a book on her off days and spend quality time with friends and family".
Pistorius is known as the Blade Runner because of the ground-breaking prosthetics he uses for racing.
He made history at London 2012 when he became the first amputee sprinter to compete in the Olympics, running in the 400m and 4x400m relay.
The Johannesburg-born athlete was born without fibulas in his legs and had the limbs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old.
He had to win a legal battle over his blades with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 2008 for the right to compete in able-bodied competition.
South Africa has some of the highest rates for violent crime in the world, with an average of nearly 50 people murdered each day. There are also high levels of assault, rape, robbery and carjackings.
According to United Nations research, South Africa has one of the highest firearm-related homicide rates in the world, four times higher than the US and second only to Colombia at the time.
According to statistics, the country is awash with almost six million civilian firearms, with 12.7 out of 100 people in South Africa owning a gun.
In 2008-2009, there were 18,148 murders in South Africa, compared with 662 murders in the UK.
Champ ... Pistorius after winning the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Miss Steenkamp's publicist Sarit Tomlinson said the family was "shocked" and "devastated" by the news.
She described Miss Steenkamp as "the sweetest human being" and "a talented and bright young girl", adding that the couple had a "healthy, fabulous relationship".
She was from a family of horse trainers, who she said she was very proud of. Her father was Barry Steenkamp, well-known horse trainer related to famous South African trainers the Amos brothers.
The International Paralympic Committee said in a statement: "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.
"The IPC would like to offer its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families involved in this case."
Olympian Jessica Ennis spoke of her shock on Twitter, describing the “the horrendous news” as “an awful tragedy”.
Athelete legend Denise Lewis added: “Not a good morning athletics fans - News reports on Oscar Pistorius are unbelievable”.
Just three days ago, Pistorius tweeted about his excitement regarding his first race of 2013, accompanied by a photograph of him in action.
He said: “1 month till my first race of 2013.. Can’t wait to burn it up!”
On Pistorius’s website, a quote from Lord Coe before London 2012 hails him as a “real inspiration to people around the world” with a Nike spokesman describes time with Pistorius as “some of the most inspirational time we’ve ever spent around an athlete”.
Lord Coe said: “Oscar is an extraordinary athlete who has made a significant impact in international sport.
“It will be fantastic to see him compete in London this summer – spectators can expect a real treat!
“He’s been a real inspiration to people around the world so we were thrilled when he decided to join our International Inspiration programme as an ambassador, helping us to inspire young people worldwide.”
PARALYMPIC star Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder after reportedly shooting his girlfriend dead having mistakenly thought she was a burglar.
According to reports, the South African hero, 26, shot Reeva Steenkamp, 30, in the head and arm at 4am this morning.
There was speculation the shooting may have been a Valentine’s Day surprise gone wrong at the property in the Silver Woods Country Estate in Pretoria.
Cops now have 48 hours to question him and continue investigations before he is brought before the court.
Talk Radio 702 host Kribani Pillay in Johannesburg said Pistorius told police that he thought the woman was an intruder.
Miss Pillay said the area around Pistorius’ home was “teeming” with emergency services, media and onlookers.
A police spokesperson said Pistorius was "traumatised after losing someone close to him".
Yesterday, Miss Steenkamp fatefully posted a tweet about Valentine's Day, writing: "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow???"
The last tweet she posted on her Twitter account read "I'm there like a bear!!! Yayyyy!!!! X" after a friend invited her round for afternoon tea and cupcakes.
A 9mm pistol was recovered. According to unconfirmed reports four shots were fired.
A spokeswoman said: “I can confirm that a woman has been fatally wounded in a shooting at Oscar Pistorius’s house.
“A 26-year-old man has been taken into custody.”
Police spokesman Katlego Mogale said: “At this stage we are still conducting a preliminary inquiry. Statements are conducted with neighbours and people who were at the scene. A case of murder was being investigated.”
He added: “Paramedics declared the woman dead on the scene and police proceeded with their investigation.
“The woman sustained wounds to her head and the upper body.”
Mogale said police were called following a shooting at a townhouse complex in the Silverlakes district.
“When police arrived they found the paramedics attending to the woman. The paramedics declared the woman dead on the scene and police proceeded with their investigation of the scene,” he said.
He said a 26-year-old man was expected to appear at Pretoria Magistrate’s Court later today.
Entertainment show Tropika Island of Treasure, which stars Miss Steenkamp and was due to be broadcast this weekend, has posted a tribute to her on its website.
It said: “We are deeply saddened and extend our condolences to Reeva’s family and friends.”
Miss Steenkamp 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 model for FHM and feature in various advertising campaigns.
The Cape Town-born model described herself as someone who has "a passion for cars and cooking and prefers to read a book on her off days and spend quality time with friends and family".
Pistorius is known as the Blade Runner because of the ground-breaking prosthetics he uses for racing.
He made history at London 2012 when he became the first amputee sprinter to compete in the Olympics, running in the 400m and 4x400m relay.
The Johannesburg-born athlete was born without fibulas in his legs and had the limbs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old.
He had to win a legal battle over his blades with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 2008 for the right to compete in able-bodied competition.
South Africa has some of the highest rates for violent crime in the world, with an average of nearly 50 people murdered each day. There are also high levels of assault, rape, robbery and carjackings.
According to United Nations research, South Africa has one of the highest firearm-related homicide rates in the world, four times higher than the US and second only to Colombia at the time.
According to statistics, the country is awash with almost six million civilian firearms, with 12.7 out of 100 people in South Africa owning a gun.
In 2008-2009, there were 18,148 murders in South Africa, compared with 662 murders in the UK.
Champ ... Pistorius after winning the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Miss Steenkamp's publicist Sarit Tomlinson said the family was "shocked" and "devastated" by the news.
She described Miss Steenkamp as "the sweetest human being" and "a talented and bright young girl", adding that the couple had a "healthy, fabulous relationship".
She was from a family of horse trainers, who she said she was very proud of. Her father was Barry Steenkamp, well-known horse trainer related to famous South African trainers the Amos brothers.
The International Paralympic Committee said in a statement: "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.
"The IPC would like to offer its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families involved in this case."
Olympian Jessica Ennis spoke of her shock on Twitter, describing the “the horrendous news” as “an awful tragedy”.
Athelete legend Denise Lewis added: “Not a good morning athletics fans - News reports on Oscar Pistorius are unbelievable”.
Just three days ago, Pistorius tweeted about his excitement regarding his first race of 2013, accompanied by a photograph of him in action.
He said: “1 month till my first race of 2013.. Can’t wait to burn it up!”
On Pistorius’s website, a quote from Lord Coe before London 2012 hails him as a “real inspiration to people around the world” with a Nike spokesman describes time with Pistorius as “some of the most inspirational time we’ve ever spent around an athlete”.
Lord Coe said: “Oscar is an extraordinary athlete who has made a significant impact in international sport.
“It will be fantastic to see him compete in London this summer – spectators can expect a real treat!
“He’s been a real inspiration to people around the world so we were thrilled when he decided to join our International Inspiration programme as an ambassador, helping us to inspire young people worldwide.”
