RETORIA—Oscar Pistorius has been charged with themurder of his girlfriend after model Reeva Steenkamp was shot inside the Olympic athlete’s home in South Africa.
Police in South Africa do not name suspects in crimes until they have appeared in court but police spokesperson Brig. Denise Beukes said that Pistorius was at his home after the death of the 29-year-old Steenkamp and “there is no other suspect involved.”
Beukes said the suspect was undergoing blood alcohol and forensic tests and had made a request to be brought to court immediately.
She said Pistorius would apply for bail, but the South African Police Service would oppose the application. Beukes said there had been “previous incidents” at Pistorius’ home.
It was reported that the woman may have been trying to surprise Pistorius for Valentine’s Day and he thought she was an intruder breaking into his home. The shooting prompted discussions on talk radio shows about the country’s gun control laws.
Radio talk show host Redi Thlabi discussed accidental shootings, including one in which a father shot his daughter as she tried to sneak out early one morning, mistaking her for an intruder.
“I am just shocked and speechless,” Thlabi said. “I wonder if this puts the spotlight on the gun ownership debate. Do you feel safe when you hear such stories?”
Pistorius made history in London last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. He is one of South Africa’s and the world’s most famous sportsmen.
Having had both his legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday because of a congenital condition, he campaigned for years to be allowed to compete against able-bodied athletes. Having initially been banned because of his carbon-fibre blades — which critics said gave him an unfair advantage — he was cleared by sport’s highest court in 2008 and allowed to run at the top events.
He competed in the 400 metres and on South Africa’s 4×400 relay team at the London Games, making history after being have his selection confirmed on South Africa’s team at the very last minute. He also retained his Paralympic title in the 400 metres in London.
South Africa’s Sports Confederation and Olympic committee released a statement later Thursday saying they had been “inundated” with requests for comment but were not in a position to give out any details of the shooting.
“SASCOC, like the rest of the public, knows no more than what is in the public domain, which is there has been an alleged fatal shooting on the basis of a mistaken identity and an apparent assumption of a burglary,” the South African Olympic committee said. “The organization is in no position to comment on the incident other than to say our deepest sympathy and condolences have been expressed to the families of all concerned.”
South Africa has some of the world’s highest murder rates, with nearly 50 people killed each day in the nation of 50 million. It also has high rates of rape, other assaults, robbery and carjackings. People can click here to know the carjacking defense options, in cases of robbery, theft or carjacking cases.
UN statistics show South Africa has the second highest rate of shooting deaths in the world, second only to Colombia.
There have “previously been incidents at the home of Mr. Oscar Pistorius,” said police spokeswoman Brigadier Denise Beukes. Police in South Africa do not name suspects in crimes until they have appeared in court but Beukes said that the 26-year-old Pistorius was at his home at the time of the death of Steenkamp and “there is no other suspect involved.”
“I’m not going to elaborate on it but there have been incidents (at Pistorius’ home),” Beukes said. Police in South Africa do not name suspects in crimes until they have appeared in court but Beukes said that the 26-year-old Pistorius was at his home at the time of the death of Steenkamp and “there is no other suspect involved.”
Pistorius’ father, Henke, declined to comment, only saying “we all pray for guidance and strength for Oscar and the lady’s parents.”
Neither Pistorius’ agent Peet van Zyl nor coach Ampie Louw could be reached while Pistorius’ own cellphone went straight to voicemail.
Pistorius’ former coach, Andrea Gianni, said he hopes it was “just a tragic accident.” Gianni said he believed that Pistorius had been dating Steenkamp for “a few months.”
“No matter how bad the situation was, Oscar always stayed calm and positive,” Gianni said from Italy. “Whenever he was tired or nervous he was still extremely nice to people. I never saw him violent.”
Yet Pistorius had troubles in his personal life. In February 2009, he crashed a speed boat he was piloting on South Africa’s Vaal River. Witnesses said he had been drinking before the crash and officers found alcoholic beverages in the wreckage, though they acknowledged at the time they hadn’t conducted a blood test on the athlete. Pistorius broke his nose, jaw and several ribs in the crash, as well as damaged his eye socket and required some 180 stitches to his face.
In November, Pistorius also found himself in an altercation with a local coal mining millionaire over a woman, South African media reported. Eventually, the two men involved the South African Police Service’s elite Hawks investigative unit before settling the matter.
Pistorius owned firearms and posted a photograph of himself at a shooting range in November 2011 to the social media website Twitter, bragging about his score.
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