Oscar Pistorius Charged With Murdering Girlfriend; Was Shooting an Accident?
Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murdering his girlfriend at his home in Pretoria, South Africa. Pistorius came to fame at the 2012 Olympics when he won three medals in the Paralympic Games in London.
Reeva Steenkamp was planning a Valentine's Day surprise and mistakenly shot by Pistorius when she entered his home, according to CNN. In South Africa, many residents own guns in order to defend themselves against intruders; in this case, though, Steenkamp was an innocent victim.
"There are witnesses and they have been interviewed this morning," police brigadier Denise Beukes told reporters outside Pistorius' home. "We are talking about neighbors and people that heard things earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place. At this stage he is on his way to a district surgeon for medical examination and will be appearing at the Pretoria Magistrate Court at 2 p.m. this afternoon."
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"We are all devastated," Steenkamp's agent told Reuters. "Her family is in shock. They did have a good relationship. Nobody actually knows what happened."
Pistorius' father Henke refused to comment about the incident except to tell the South African Broadcasting Corporation that his son was "sad at the moment. It will be extremely obnoxious and rude to speculate. I don't know the facts."
The runner's spokeswoman told the press that Pistorius is "assisting the police with their investigation but there will be no further comment until matters become clearer later today."
Steenkamp, a former FHM model, was shot in the head, chest and arm, Daily Mail reported. She and Pistorius had been dating for two months and in that time had dealt with police and a "domestic situation" that occurred at Pistorius' home. Her death, though, is believed to be nothing more than a tragic accident.
"Oscar is a humble person and a lovely guy – I'm sure what's happened has been a terrible mistake but I really don't have the details at the moment," his agent Peet van Zyl told Daily Mail. "I hope I can have access to him at the police station."
