‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius charged with murder
The athlete who rose to fame in London last summer as the first amputee runner in the Olympics has reportedly been arrested by South African police after his girlfriend was shot and killed in his home. NBC’s Rohit Kachroo reports and NBC sports analyst Ato Boldon talks about the case, calling it an “absolute shock.”
By John Newland, Jason Cumming and Cecile Antonie, NBC News
Olympic and Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius was charged with murder Thursday after his girlfriend was shot dead at his South African home.
South African Police spokeswoman Denise Beukes said that Pistorius, 26, and the victim were the only people present when the shooting took place. The woman had been shot at least twice, police said.
Pistorius will appear for a court hearing on Friday at 9am local time, the South African prosecutor’s office confirmed.
Numerous media outlets reported that the sprinter — who is nicknamed “Blade Runner” because he races wearing carbon fiber prosthetic blades — may have mistaken the woman for an intruder.
A publicist for Reeva Steenkamp, a model whom Pistorius was dating, confirmed to NBC’s TODAY that her client was dead. She described the incident as a “huge loss for everyone and too shocking for words.”
© Lucky Nxumalo / City Press – Gallo Images via Getty Images, file
Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp attend an award ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 4.
Beukes said there were no signs of forced entry to the home and said that police would oppose any application Pistorius might make to be released on bail.
Beukes said there had been reports about previous problems at Pistorius’ home which were “allegations of a domestic nature.” When a reporter asked if she meant domestic violence, she nodded and said “yes”.
“There are witnesses and we have interviewed them,” she added. “We’re talking about neighbors and people who heard things earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place.”
The Associated Press reported that a 9mm handgun had been found at his home in the luxurious Silver Woods gated community.
Sarit Tomlinson, who is Steenkamp’s publicist, told Britains’ Sky News that the the pair had been together for a couple months.
“She was a rising star … a very bright young girl,” Tomlinson said. She noted that “no one knows what happened” but said “we are in communication with the people on the scene.”
The Silver Woods Country Estate released a statement on its website early Thursday: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic circumstances that occurred today at Silver Woods. Our sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to Reeva Steenkamp’s family and friends.”
Steenkamp, a 30-year-old law school graduate, gushed about Valentine’s Day on Twitter Wednesday, posting “What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow???” and “It should be a day of love for everyone.”
‘National hero’ He was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics. He qualified for the 400-meter semi-finals and 4 x 400-meter final at the London 2012 Summer Games.
His website highlighted that Pistorius ran in 11 races during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralymics and returned home with “two Paralympic gold medals, Paralympic silver, two world records, a Paralympic record, an Olympic individual semi-final and an Olympic final.”
Pistorius, a double amputee born without fibulas in his legs, has trained hard to participate in the Olympics despite having to wear prosthetic legs. NBC’s Mary Carillo reports.
Speaking to Sky News, South African journalist Kribani Pillay described Pistorius as a “national hero and national icon.”
Violent crime is major issue in South Africa and many homeowners own guns.
In a January 2012 New York Times article, Pistorius described his reaction to a security alarm going off in his home:
He mentioned that a security alarm in the house had gone off the previous night, and he had grabbed his gun and tiptoed downstairs. (It turned out to be nothing.)
I asked what kind of gun he owned … He fetched his 9-millimeter handgun and two boxes of ammunition. We got back in the car and drove to a nearby firing range, where he instructed me on proper technique. Pistorius was a good coach. … I asked him how often he came to the range. “Just sometimes when I can’t sleep,” he said.
The U.S. State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security warns of the danger of Pretoria and other South African cities: “On a rating scale of low, medium, high, and critical, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town are rated ‘critical’ for crime.”
Citing South African Police Service 2011 crime statistics, the agency pointed out home invasion as a particularly violent crime that occurs “at an alarmingly high rate.”
In Gauteng Province, which includes Pretoria and Johannesburg, there were 7,039 home invasions reported in 2011, according South African police statistics.
Artist Melinda Bam of Pretoria, who was Miss South Africa 2011, expressed her sadness on Twitter and mentioned “how unsafe most South Africans feel because of crime.”
