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Olympic Star Charged With Murder

Feb 14, 2013  •  Post A Comment

An Olympic athlete who made history last year at the London Games was arrested today and charged with murder, The New York Times reports.

Oscar Pistorius, who was the first double amputee sprinter to compete in the Olympics, is accused of fatally shooting Reeva Steenkamp, a model who had been seen with Pistorius at society events and who was said to be his girlfriend, the story reports.

Pistorius reached the 400-meter semifinal and competed in the 4×400 meter relay in the 2012 Olympics. Because of his carbon fiber prosthetic blades, he was given the nickname Blade Runner, the report notes.

Pistorius, 26, also won two gold medals and a silver at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

The story reports: "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."

Local media reports indicated that Pistorius said the shooting was an accident and that he thought the victim was an intruder, the story says.

“But speaking to reporters in Pretoria, another police spokeswoman, Brig. Denise Beukes, said those reports had taken her by surprise,” The Times reports. “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.”

Reeva-Steenkamp-Oscar-Pistorius.jpg

Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp

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