PARALYMPIC superstar Oscar Pistorius has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend who was shot inside his home in South Africa, a stunning development in the life of a national hero known as the Blade Runner for his high-tech artificial legs.

Pistorius will appear in court at 6pm AEDT after being taken into custody yesterday.

Reeva Steenkamp, a model who spoke out on Twitter against rape and abuse of women, was shot four times in the pre-dawn hours in the home, in a gated community in the capital, Pretoria, police said.

And The Sun is reporting neighbours of the London Olympian have described hearing three gunshots, 10 minutes of silence, then three more shots in the early hours of the morning.

"There were three gunshots and a woman's screams. Almost ten minutes later there were three more shots," the wife of a neighbour who rushed to the scene reportedly said.

A 9mm pistol was recovered from the hours after police were called about 3am.

Hours later after undergoing police questioning, Pistorius left a police station accompanied by officers. He looked down as photographers snapped pictures, the hood on his grey workout jacket pulled up, covering most of his face.

His court hearing was originally scheduled for Thursday afternoon local time but has been postponed until Friday to give forensics investigators time to carry out their work, said Medupe Simasiku, a spokesman for the prosecution.

As the news emerged, the mother of one of Pistorius' former girlfriends said he was "reckless" with guns.

"I am so glad that Sammy is safe and sound and out of the clutches of that man - there were a few occasions where things could have gone wrong with her and his gun during the time they dated.," Trish Taylor, mother of Samantha Taylor, wrote on Facebook.

A picture has also emerged, posted to Twitter by Pistorius himself in 2011, in which the 400m runner is seen firing a gun and then boasting about his accuracy.

"Had a 96% headshot over 300m from 50 shots! Bam!" Pistorius tweeted.

Spent the afternoon at the Tormezzo Italian Shooting range. Had a 96% headshot over 300m from 50shots! Bam! lockerz.com/s/160337437 — Oscar Pistorius (@OscarPistorius) November 28, 2011

However, Australian runner John Steffensen said he was shocked by the news.

“I mean, we were athletes in the same event, so you get to know each other. And both coming from South Africa, as well," Steffensen said.



“He’s a nice guy, very giving to people. You just wouldn’t believe that something like this could happen to him."

Police have played down reports that Pistorius shot dead Steenkamp thinking she was an intruder, saying they had dealt with domestic incidents at his residence and will oppose bail.

Police said there had "previously been incidents at the home of Mr Oscar Pistorius".

Police in South Africa do not name suspects in crimes until they have appeared in court but Beukes said that Pistorius was at his home at the time of the death of Steenkamp and "there is no other suspect involved".

"Yes there are witnesses and there have also been interviews this morning," Brigadier Beukes told reporters outside the gated complex where Pistorius lived.

"We are talking about neighbours and people that heard things that happened earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place."

Pistorius "reckless" with guns: Ex's mum

Police said that earlier reports that Steenkamp may have been mistaken for a burglar by Pistorius did not come from the police. Several local media outlets had initially reported that the shooting may have been accidental.

"It would be very premature and very irresponsible of me to say what actually has happened," Brigadier Beukes said. "There have been allegations. We are not sure."

Brigadier Beukes also said there had been previous incidents and "allegations of a domestic nature" at the home of the Olympic star and double-amputee runner, who is one of South Africa's and the world's most famous sportsmen and made history at the London Games last year by being the first double-amputee runner to compete at the Olympics.

"I'm not going to elaborate on it but there have been incidents (at Pistorius' home)," Brigadier Beukes said.

Within hours of the charges, an advertisment for Nike that featured Oscar Pistorius with the line "I am the bullet in the chamber" has been removed from the runner's personal website.

One of Steenkamp's final posts on her Twitter account took on added poignancy after her death.

Posted on the eve of Valentine's Day, she tweeted: ""What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow???"

9mm pistol recovered from house

Police spokeswoman Lt Col Katlego Mogale told The Associated Press that officers received a call around 3am after the shooting.

Lt Col Mogale said when police arrived they found paramedics trying to revive a 30-year-old woman, who had been shot four times. Lt Col Mogale, who was speaking from the scene, said the woman died at the house.

Victim is Pistorius's girlfriend Reeva Steencamp

"We can confirm that Reeva Steenkamp has passed away," Steenkamp's publicist Sarit Tomlinson said.

"Our thoughts and prayers go to the Steenkamp family, who have asked to have their privacy respected during this difficult time, everyone is simply devastated. She was the kindest, sweetest human being; an angel on earth and will be sorely missed.

When sports stars and murder collide

Tomlinson said Steenkamp, known simply as Reeva, was one of FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World for two years running, appeared in countless international and national advertisements and was one of the celebrity contestants on Tropika Island of Treasure, filmed in Jamaica.

On Twitter, she tweeted messages urging women to stand up against rape alongside her excitement about Valentine's Day. "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow?" she tweeted. "It should be a day of love for everyone."

Pistorius' father, Henke, declined to comment when contacted, only saying "we all pray for guidance and strength for Oscar and the lady's parents."

“Obviously we are shocked,” Henke Pistorius said. “He is with the police and the matter is in the hands of the authorities.”

Neither Pistorius' agent Peet van Zyl nor coach Ampie Louw could be reached while Pistorius' own cellphone went straight to voicemail.

Pistorius has had problems before

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.

"Had a 96% headshot over 300m from 50shots! Bam!" he tweeted.

Pistorius made history in London last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete in the Olympic Games, propelling him to the status of an athletics superstar.

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 meters and on South Africa's 4x400 relay team at the London Games, making history after having his selection confirmed on South Africa's team at the very last minute. He also retained his Paralympic title in the 400 meters in London.

Pistorius due to race in Sydney

Pistorius was to race in Australia for the first time at the Sydney Track Classic on March 9 and in Perth seven days later.

Athletics Australia CEO Dallas O’Brien said he was unaware how the reported shooting of his girlfriend would impact on his planned tour.

"Obviously we have been made aware of the tragic news story developing in South Africa around Oscar Pistorius and the reported shooting of his girlfriend,’’ he said.

“Clearly, all the details around this incident are still coming to light, and for this reason we have no information at this time about how this affects Oscar’s plans.”

South Africa's Sports Confederation and Olympic committee released a statement 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."

The International Paralympic Committee also said it wouldn't comment in detail apart from offering its condolences to the victim's family.

"This is a police matter, with a formal investigation currently underway," the IPC said. "Therefore it would be inappropriate for the IPC to comment on this incident until the official police process has concluded. The IPC would like to offer its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families involved in this case."

Violent crime is problem in South Africa

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.

UN statistics show South Africa has the second highest rate of shooting deaths in the world, second only to Colombia.

Almost six million South Africans have guns, and the nation has one of the world’s highest gun ownership rates at 12.7 firearms per 100 people.

Pistorius lives in Pretoria, which was recently named one of the most dangerous places in the country when it comes to house robberies.

A recent report named the city as one of the top 20 most dangerous and violent areas to live in.

The capital also has four suburbs in the 10 most dangerous places to live in South Africa when it comes to attempted murder, rape, street robberies and assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (assault GBH).

Pretoria is nine hours behind Australian Eastern Daylight Time.

