Oscar Pistorius Charged with Murder of Model Reeva Steenkamp

South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius, who made history in 2012 by becoming the first double below-the-knee amputee to compete in the Summer Olympics, reportedly shot and killed his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on Thursday. 

According to multiple reports, Pistorius allegedly shot Steenkamp in the head and arm, and she died on the scene. He has reportedly been “taken into police custody and is expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court later on Thursday.” 

According to some accounts, Steenkamp had reportedly come to Pistorius’s home to surprise him on Valentine’s Day. 

Pistorius, who runs on carbon fiber prostheses, made the 400m semifinals at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

UPDATE: Pistorius has been charged with murder. According to the BBC, police intend to “oppose any bail application.”

UPDATE: Pistorius has been charged with murder. A police spokesperson would only say there have “previously been incidents at the home of Mr. Oscar Pistorius” and that there had been “allegations of a domestic nature.” Police did not say if those incidents involved Steenkamp. 

According to reports, police questioned Pistorius for “hours.” His court hearing was supposed to be on Thursday, “but has been postponed until Friday to give forensic investigators time to carry out their work,” according to a spokesperson for the prosecution.

Police spokeswoman Brigadier Denise Beukes said “there is no other suspect involved.” She said police were interviewing neighbors in Pistorius’s gated community who “heard things that happened earlier in the evening and when the shootings took place.”

Steenkamp’s publicist confirmed the model died.

“We can confirm that Reeva Steenkamp has passed away,” Steenkamp’s publicist Sarit Tomlinson said. “We are in communication with people on the scene, please wait for official statements, as there is too much speculation at this moment in time. We will provide further information as soon as we are able to provide accurate information as to what transpired.

UPDATE: Pistorius is reportedly to be charged with murder, after police denied claims that he had mistaken Steenkamp for a burglar.