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Oscar Pistorius 'shoots girlfriend' - local media | Oscar Pistorius 'shoots girlfriend' - local media |
(35 minutes later) | |
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 confirmed to local media that a woman - who died at the scene - was shot in the head and arm. | |
The precise circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear. Reports say he may have mistaken her for a burglar. | |
The 26-year-old - known as the "blade runner" - was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics. | |
"We found a 9mm pistol at the scene. A 26-year-old man was taken into custody," police spokeswoman Katlego Mogale told Reuters news agency. | |
Local media say the body was removed from the scene. | |
South Africa has among the highest rates of crime in the world and many residents keep weapons to protect themselves against intruders. | |
But South Africa does have a careful vetting process before awarding gun licenses, Erika Gibson of Beelt 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. | |
For years he dominated in his category at successive Paralympic Games after winning medals at the 2004 Athens Games. |