Thursday, February 14, 2013

It was just last summer that Oscar Pistorius was making history as the first double-amputee track athlete to compete at the Olympic Games.

Now, the man known as the Blade Runner for his high-tech artificial legs is being charged with the murder of his girlfriend, who was shot inside his home in South Africa early today.

Reeva Steenkamp was a model who spoke out on Twitter against rape and abuse of women.

South Africans are expressing shock at the killing. But police say there have "previously been incidents" at the Pistorius home, involving "allegations of a domestic nature." And a police spokeswoman says neighbors "heard things that happened earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place."

A court hearing that had been set for this afternoon has been postponed until tomorrow to give forensic investigators time to carry out their work.

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Police say Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee known as "Blade Runner," has been involved in a shooting at his home.

Lt. Col. Katlego Mogale tells The Associated Press that police received a call Thursday morning that there had been a shooting at Pistorius' home. Mogale says when police arrived, they found paramedics trying to revive a 30-year-old woman who had been shot an unspecified number of times. Mogale says the woman died at the home.

Officers found a 9-mm pistol at the scene and took the 26-year-old Pistorius into custody. He is expected to appear in court later Thursday.

Pistorius made history at the London Olympics last year when he became the first double-amputee runner to compete on the track at the Olympics.