Reuters) - South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius, known as the "Blade Runner" for his racing prosthetics, was arrested on Thursday after his girlfriend was shot dead at his home in Pretoria.

Police said they had opened a murder case after a 30-year-old woman was found dead at the scene in the upmarket Silverlakes gated community on the outskirts of the capital.

"We found a 9 mm pistol at the scene. A 26-year-old man was taken into custody," police spokeswoman Katlego Mogale said. In South Africa police do not identify suspects until they are charged in court.

Johannesburg's Talk Radio 702 said Pistorius was believed to have shot his girlfriend, a model, in the head and arm, although the circumstances were unclear. He may have mistaken her for a burglar, the radio report said.

Reeva Steenkamp was reported to have been dating Pistorius for a year. In the social pages of last weekend's Sunday Independent, she described Pistorius as having "impeccable" taste.

"His gifts are always thoughtful," she was quoted as saying.

Pistorius, who races wearing carbon fiber prosthetic blades after he was born without a fibula in both legs, was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics and reached the 400 meter semi-finals in London 2012.

In last year's Paralympics he suffered his first loss over 200 meters in nine years. After the race he sullied his media darling persona somewhat by questioning the legitimacy of Brazilian winner Alan Oliveira's prosthetic blades. The comments sparked controversy though Pistorius was quick to express his regret.

South Africa has some of the world's highest rates of violent crime and many home owners have weapons to defend themselves against intruders.

In 2004, Springbok rugby player Rudi Visagie shot dead his 19-year-old daughter after he mistakenly thought she was a robber trying to steal his car in the middle of the night.

Pistorius did not answer his mobile phone on Thursday. His agent told Reuters he had not spoken to Pistorius but his lawyers were with him.

Pistorius is sponsored by British telecoms firm BT, sunglasses maker Oakley, sports apparel maker Nike and French designer Thierry Mugler.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/us-safrica-pistorius-idUSBRE91D0AE20130214

An intruder? oh puhleeze!I read somewhere that he shot her four times, sounds fishy

GOSH!
Pistorious fall ma hand...d dude f)(k me up mehn.
Hw cld he?...he shld have remembered millions of pple look up to him.now am thinking he's just a typical south-african.

JUST PASSING............................................

stale

SA, murderers, I'm not surprised

The guy do am intentionally jare,this one no be case of mistaken IDENTITY.
Na today him dey see the lady,when him no come know her again?
The guy should be sent to college(prison)

He probably thought that she was a Nigerian before he shot her... same reason given when Lucky Dube was shot

I no kuku understand the story.

Na so them dey shoot intruders? Abi na the first time wwey the babe dey come him house be that?

Unfollow this topic

Na wao, how could he kill smone he use to sleep wit. This is pure wickeredness

Where he see gun?

I wanted to contribute something but I lack the words so I'm just gonna shake my head and look for something worthwhile to read on NL....

By the way, that was how that Nigerian Basketballer was mistaken for a thief too

Wild Wild South

With the high crime rate in SA, where almost everyone sleeps with a
revolver under the pillow, Oscar may never see the inside of a prison

Truly, South Africa na obodo oyibo.
To think that a man who committed an act of "manslaughter" barely this morning-3.00AM is already being tried in court
today is incredible.
Can this speedy commencement of judicial procedure ever happen in Nigeria?

mikeyhernadez: Where he see gun?

check www.whereheseegun.com

Pistorious, ........ Murderer.............South Africa.

Lobatan.

SA is d capital of rape, murder and HIV. Also d Headquarters of ANH (Association of Nigerian Haters)

I was confused as to his action and his state of health when I heard that news on CNN this morning.
With his state of health, must he try to kill a woman he has been dating? What kind or a robber must he mistook her to be?

Sometimes I wonder about how God created us the manner we are from birth because if this guy could kill with his own state of health, then his state of health must have been predestined as if he had came to this world as a complete normal human being, he would have turned out a serial killer.

Perhaps she wanted to give him a supris valetine gift. Offorturnately she met her untimely death. But the police shld investigate it o o. Sth is not clear!

Imagine someone sleeping and then surprised by an unknown person grabbing you in bed in the dark. When you reach for a pistol in those few seconds out of panic, how many times does the individual press the trigger? Most of us will fire until the magazine is empty before we put on the light to realize what has happened.

Ogbeche77: check www.whereheseegun.com

u funny die

Noooo!!! I used to (and still do) have a lot of respect for this man, and was so grateful he was a source of inspiration for the physically unfortunate among us.

Why!!?

Dats how dy do in south,shoot b4 checkin

Moral of the lesson

Babes
Avoid 'surprise visits'!!!
Always call your boyfriend before going to his house and when u r at d door..to avoid 'stories that touch'!
Guys
Stop giving out ur 'spare key' to ur babes!

tchidi: Moral of the lesson

Avoid 'surprise visits'!!!
Always call your boyfriend before going to his house..to avoid 'stories that touch'!

What's to say this was not premeditated murder executed with a convenient alibi?

vanstanzy: With what did he pull the trigger? His blade *Just kidding!*

He does have arms. Na leg where im get the deformity.

Wait a Minute!!

Did he shoot in the dark?

Did she break in? most Gf have spare keys?

What precipitated him to fire FOUR times without knowing for sure that he is shooting a burglar?

You hear a sound when asleep, you wake up, pick up a gun, and fire at the 'stranger' four times

He was not firing into space, he aimed at the figure and fired, so he could not deduce the shape of his gf??

This is not an accident, this is a murder!