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Pistorius Charged With Murder in Shooting of Woman Pistorius Charged With Murder in Shooting of Girlfriend
(about 3 hours later)
JOHANNESBURG — The Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, who made sporting history by becoming the first double amputee sprinter to compete in the Olympics, was charged with murder on Thursday after a woman was fatally shot in his home in Pretoria, according to South African police officials. JOHANNESBURG — She was a platinum-haired model on the cusp of the big time, about to debut on a reality television show. He was a global sports icon who, despite having had both his legs amputated at the knee as an infant, ran so fast that in a 2011 Nike advertisement he declared, “I am the bullet in the chamber.” Reeva Steenkamp, the model, and Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympic champion and Olympic competitor, were glamorous young fixtures on the South African celebrity scene.
The development stunned a nation that had elevated Mr. Pistorius to iconic status because of his ability to overcome acute adversity and represent South Africa’s achievements on the world stage. But early on Thursday morning, the police arrived at Mr. Pistorius’s house in a gated community in Pretoria to find Ms. Steenkamp, 30, dead from multiple gunshot wounds in a puddle of blood. And before the day was out, Mr. Pistorius, 26, who ran on carbon-fiber blades that earned him the nickname Blade Runner, had been charged with murder.
Confirming the charges, police officials said they planned to oppose Mr. Pistorius’s expected application for bail at a court hearing scheduled for Friday. The police had initially said he would appear in court later on Thursday. Early news reports here that Mr. Pistorius, a gun enthusiast, had accidentally shot his girlfriend, thinking she was intruder, gave way to grim police news conferences announcing previous law enforcement complaints about domestic incidents at his home and the current charges of murder. The development stunned a nation that had elevated Mr. Pistorius to the status of a national sporting hero, an emblem of the ability to overcome acute adversity and a symbol of South Africa’s ability to project achievements onto the world stage.
South African and other media quoted associates of the victim as identifying her as Reeva Steenkamp, a model whose Twitter page described her as a “cover girl” and a law school graduate. Ms. Steenkamp and Mr. Pistorius had frequently been seen together at society events and South African media identified her as his girlfriend, giving them the aura of a golden couple beloved by the society pages and photographers. “He was an icon for South Africa,” said Hennie Kotze, one of the coaches who worked with Mr. Pistorius as part of the 400-meter relay at the London Olympics. “It was the way he handled his disability with such character and discipline. It is a big shock for everyone.”
Mr. Pistorius, 26, won two gold medals and a silver at last year’s Paralympic Games in London. In the 2012 Olympics, he reached the 400-meter semifinal and competed in the 4x400 meter relay. Known by the nickname Blade Runner, he races using carbon fiber prosthetic blades. Mr. Pistorius was arrested on Thursday and taken to a Pretoria jail, where he will spend the night in anticipation of a bail hearing to be held Friday morning. The police have said that they plan to oppose bail in the case.
Early Thursday morning, the police responded to a report of gunshots in the upscale housing complex where Mr. Pistorius lives, said Col. Katlego Mogale, a police spokeswoman. When they arrived, they found paramedics treating a 30-year-old woman for gunshot wounds. The woman was pronounced dead and a 26-year-old man was taken into custody, Colonel Mogale said. Even in an era that has seen idolized sports heroes fall from grace at a rapid clip, from the doping of Mark McGwire and Lance Armstrong to the philandering of Tiger Woods, Mr. Pistorius’s arrest stood out for the severity of the charges, the unique hardships he had overcome and the outsized triumphs he has won, not just against other disabled athletes but against able-bodied ones as well.
Colonel Mogale would not comment on a possible motive for the shooting. Mr. Pistorius, 26, won two gold medals and a silver at last year’s Paralympic Games in London. In the 2012 Olympics, he reached the 400-meter semifinal and competed in the 4x400 meter relay.
“A case of murder has been opened,” she said before the police said they had formally charged Mr. Pistorius. In the Paralympics last September, Mr. Pistorius won individual gold, when he successfully defended his Paralympic 400-meter title. He had lost his 100- and 200-meter titles, but was part of the gold medal-winning 4x100 meter relay team. He came in second in the 200 meter race.
Reports from local media said that Mr. Pistorius told the police that the shooting was an accident and that he had mistaken the victim for an intruder.
But speaking to reporters in Pretoria, another police spokeswoman, Brig. Denise Beukes said those reports had taken her by surprise.
She also said that the police had responded previously to complaints of a “domestic nature” at the runner’s home but declined to give further details.
South Africa has one of the world’s highest rates of violent crime, and break-ins by armed robbers are relatively common. Legal handgun ownership is also common, with some restrictions.
Mr. Pistorius’s father, Henke Pistorius, said in a telephone interview from South Africa: “I wasn’t there; I have too much respect for Oscar to speculate. I have no clue what happened. The only person who can make any statement will be Oscar himself.”
Asked if his son’s relationship had been troubled, Mr. Pistorius said, “Not as far as I know. But I don’t discuss my son’s relationships. I have in fact not met the lady. I don’t know.”
He said that his son had “been in an excellent frame of mind” and had been training, but did not know whether he planned to try to compete at the world track and field championships in August in Moscow.
Adele Kirsten of Gun-Free SA, an anti-gun violence organization, said that whatever the motive, the shooting was an avoidable tragedy.
“The idea that you have a gun to protect your family against intruders, the data doesn’t bear that out,” Ms. Kirsten said. “What it tells us is that having a gun in your home puts you and your family at risk of being shot.”
In the Paralympics last September, Mr. Pistorius won individual gold, when he successfully defended his Paralympic 400 meter title. He had lost his 100- and 200-meter titles, but was part of the gold medal-winning 4x100 meter relay team. He came second in the 200 meter race.
After that contest, Mr. Pistorius damaged his reputation among his followers by criticizing the winner, Alan Oliveira of Brazil, raising questions about the length of the winner’s blades. Mr. Pistorius later apologized and praised the gold medalist in the 100 meter race, Jonnie Peacock of Britain.After that contest, Mr. Pistorius damaged his reputation among his followers by criticizing the winner, Alan Oliveira of Brazil, raising questions about the length of the winner’s blades. Mr. Pistorius later apologized and praised the gold medalist in the 100 meter race, Jonnie Peacock of Britain.
Mr. Pistorius, who was born without fibulas, had both legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday and he battled for many years to compete against able-bodied athletes. In 2008, he qualified for the Beijing Games but was ruled ineligible by track’s world governing body because his blades were deemed to give him a competitive advantage. Mr. Pistorius, who was born without fibulas, had both legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday, and he battled for many years to compete against able-bodied athletes. In 2008, he qualified for the Beijing Games but was ruled ineligible by track’s world governing body because his blades were deemed to give him a competitive advantage.
South African journalists said Mr. Pistorius lived in a walled complex near the South African capital, Pretoria. A reporter outside the compound on Thursday said it was protected by high walls and razor wire. His arrest is a stark reminder of the violence that permeates South Africa, where fear of armed robberies and carjackings prompt the wealthy to take refuge in heavily guarded gated compounds and arm themselves with handguns.
In a statement, the International Paralympic Committee said it would not comment “until the official police process has concluded” but it offered “its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families involved in this case.” “The best case is that he shot her by mistake,” said Hagen Engler, a journalist who edited FHM, a magazine that frequently featured Ms. Steenkamp, whom he knew well. “And that is a particularly South African mistake, that we are so paranoid you are ready to fire off bullets when you don’t know is coming. We are such a messed up country in some ways, and every now and then it comes to the surface with events that bring it into such stark relief.”
Sarit Tomlinson, Ms. Steenkamp’s publicist, told Sky News that the couple had a “healthy, fabulous relationship.” Henke Pistorius, Oscar’s father, said in a telephone interview: “I wasn’t there; I have too much respect for Oscar to speculate. I have no clue what happened. The only person who can make any statement will be Oscar himself.”
On her Twitter account, Ms. Steenkamp posted a message on Wednesday alluding to Valentine’s day on Feb. 14 and saying: “What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow???” Asked if his son’s relationship with Ms. Steenkamp had been troubled, Mr. Pistorius said, “Not as far as I know. But I don’t discuss my son’s relationships. I have in fact not met the lady. I don’t know.”
She also mentioned a South African reality TV show and described herself as “SA Model, Cover Girl, Tropika Island of Treasure Celeb Contestant, Law Graduate, Child of God.” He said that his son had “been in an excellent frame of mind” and had been training for the upcoming track season.

Lydia Polgreen reported from Johannesburg, and Alan Cowell from Paris. Jere Longman contributed reporting from Philadelphia.

In a nation where violent crime is an everyday fact of life and the culture of gun ownership is well entrenched, many people have handguns at home for self-defense. In an interview with a writer for The New York Times Magazine published in 2012, Mr. Pistorius said he had a 9-mm pistol and had wielded it in response to a false burglar alarm at his home. When asked how often he went to a shooting range to practice, Mr. Pistorius answered, “Just sometimes when I can’t sleep.”
On Twitter, Mr. Pistorius posted recently about another false alarm that may have prompted him to grab his weapon.
“Nothing like getting home to hear the washing machine on and thinking its an intruder to go into full combat recon mode into the pantry!” he posted on Nov. 27.
Adele Kirsten of Gun-Free South Africa, an anti-gun violence organization, said that whatever the motive, the shooting was an avoidable tragedy.
“The idea that you have a gun to protect your family against intruders, the data doesn’t bear that out,” Ms. Kirsten said. “What it tells us is that having a gun in your home puts you and your family at risk of being shot.”
Homicides involving guns have declined in the past decade, Ms. Kirsten said, a development many here attribute South Africa’s Firearms Control Act, which became law in 2004. It restricts South Africans to one gun for self-defense purposes, either a handgun or shotgun. Exceptions exist for regular hunters, but all weapons must be licensed, and gun owners were required to demonstrate that they were trained in gun safety and were free from mental instability and substance abuse.
The overall murder rate has dropped by 50 percent since its peak in the late 1990s, though violent crime remains a significant problem in South Africa. The number of women killed by intimate partners using a gun also dropped. In 2009 17 percent of such intimate partner killings were gun-related, down from nearly 31 percent in 1999. Sarit Tomlinson, Ms. Steenkamp’s publicist, told Sky News that the couple had a “healthy, fabulous relationship.”
On her Twitter account, Ms. Steenkamp described herself as “SA Model, Cover Girl, Tropika Island of Treasure Celeb Contestant, Law Graduate, Child of God.” She had posted a message on Wednesday alluding to Valentine’s day, saying: “What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow???”

Lydia Polgreen reported from Johannesburg. Alan Cowell contributed reporting from Paris, Jere Longman contributed reporting from Philadelphia and Mukelwa Hlatshwayo in Pretoria.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: February 14, 2013Correction: February 14, 2013

An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly in one reference to the sprinter at whose home a woman was fatally shot. He is Oscar Pistorius, not Pretorius.

An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly in one reference to the sprinter at whose home a woman was fatally shot. He is Oscar Pistorius, not Pretorius.