US Edition 
Oscar Pistorius 'shoots girlfriend dead': reaction Feb 14th
Follow latest reaction after South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius is charged with murder over shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at Pretoria home.
•
• Full story: Oscar Pistorius charged with murder
• Dead woman believed to be girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
• Police reveal previous domestic call outs to address
• Steenkamp shot in the head and hand, police confirm
• Police discredit reports Pistorius thought she was burglar
• Previous interviews reveal athlete's firearms interest
• Shooting happened at gated community in Pretoria
• South African TV network pulling Pistorius ad campaign
• Nike refuses to comment, BT 'awating outcome of investigation'
• Oscar Pistorius: profile of a Paralympic star
Latest
20.08 We're going to shut down our live coverage of this tragic shooting now, but keep checking the Telegraph website as all the in-depth news and coverage from our correspondents is published. Thank you for reading.
19.20 Athletes have been reacting to the news of Steenkamp's death with grief and horror since the news broke. Now two of the sporting bodies most closely affiliated with Pistorius have made statements on their websites:
From the IPC:
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will not be passing any comment on the case at this time. This is a police matter, with a formal investigation currently underway. 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.
And, from the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), the country's main sporting body:
SASCOC, like the rest of the public, knows no more than what is in the public domain... It would be irresponsible and inappropriate to comment on the alleged incident until the official investigative process has been completed.
18.54 TMZ are claiming that Pistorius's family have delivered a care package to make his night in jail more comfortable, including some blankets and a home-cooked meal.
18.04
We've seen Pistorius again today - this time he's been pictured entering the holding cells at the Boschkop police station, where he may be spending the night before appearing in court tomorrow.
(AP)
18.00
Family members have been photographed leaving the hospital where Pistorius underwent tests today.
(EPA)
17.50 We've got video footage of a very brief comment from Pistorius's lawyer, Kenny Oldwage, who says the runner is "obviously emotional, but fine":
17.19 Pistorius's Wikipedia page has been updated to reflect the charges.
16.40
Police crime scene tape marks off Pistorius's home in Pretoria, where Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead.
(Reuters)
15.51 At 30, Reeva Steenkamp was a "law graduate, entrepreneur, television presenter and model in the first flush of romance with South Africa’s most famous sportsman", writes my colleague Malcolm Moore in a profile of Pistorius's girlfriend and victim.
She first stepped out in public with Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympic sprinter four years her junior, last November at the annual South Africa Sports Awards. At the time, she claimed they were “just friends”.
After her death in the early hours of St Valentine’s Day, her publicist, Sarit Tomlinson, said the couple had been together for “a couple of months” in a “healthy, fabulous relationship”.
15.06 The relationship between Pistorious and Steenkamp seemed to be harmonious, her agent Sarit Tomlinson told Sky News earlier. Tomlinson said the couple "had only been together a couple of months" and had a "really healthy, fabulous relationship".
"Nobody actually knows what happened", she added.
Steenkamp was quoted last weekend in South Africa's Sunday Independent saying Pistorius had "impeccable" taste and adding: "His gifts are always thoughtful." She was also tweeting yesterday about her excitement over Valentine's Day.
14.50 Steenkamp was shot by Pistorius in the head and hand, police have now confirmed, adding that the 9mm pistol used in the shooting is licensed to the athlete.
13.56 A tweet posted by Pistorius from November last year is being widely retweeted today in the wake of the shooting.
The athlete also gave details last year of his home firearms in interviews with both the New York Times and the Daily Mail, revealing that he slept alongside a 9mm handgun and kept a 'machine gun' by his window, and went to gun ranges "when he couldn't sleep".
13.29 Seruscka Naidoo, a spokeswoman for Nike South Africa, just told me that the company was "sorry to have heard about the tragic events and offers condolences to all of the families involved" but said the sports brand would not comment on its commercial relationship with the athlete at this stage.
13.14 Sky News has apparently spoken to Pistorius's father Henke, who says his son is "a bit emotional, but he is fine".
12.56 A BT spokesman has just told me that the company is "awaiting the outcome of the South African police investigation" before making a decision over its commercial relationship with Pistorius, despite the athlete being charged with murder. I'm expecting a full statement soon.
That full statement is: "We are shocked by this terrible, tragic news. We await the outcome of the South African police investigation."
Another of Pistorius's major sponsors, Nike, has been approached for comment, but not responded yet. Earlier today a Nike banner ad featuring pictures of Pistorius and the slogan "I am the bullet in the chamber" was removed from the athlete's website (see below at 11.30am).
12.41 Pistorius's court appearance has been delayed until Friday. He will appear at Pretoria Magistrates' Court at 9am local time (7am GMT).
12.34 South African TV channel M-Net Movies has yet to remove a new campaign video for its Oscars coverage featuring Pistorius. Both the ad and a behind-the scenes video are still available on Youtube, along with promotional material on the channel's website. Not for much longer presumably. More from Huffington Post here.
Update: M-Net parent company DSTV has now said it is pulling the advertising campaign.
12.10 There seems to be a certain amount of confusion in Pretoria over where and when Pistorius will appear in court. My colleague Aislinn Laing reports that he will not be appearing, as expected, at 2pm (12pm GMT) at Pretoria Central Courts.
Pretoria Central magistrate says Pretorius case won't be heard before him today, but possibly in city centre court. Media pack moves on.
12.02 Full statement in now from Reeva Steenkamp's PR agency confirming she was the victim of this morning's shooting. South African police are yet to formally identify the victim.
We can confirm that Reeva Steenkamp has passed away. 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. 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.
The agency also issued a few photographs that it said Steenkamp was fond of.
(Ice Model Management)
11.54 Erin Conway Smith is at Pretoria Central Prison, where Pistorius was due to appear at 2pm local time (12pm GMT). It looks likely that the appearance will be delayed though, possibly until 4pm (2pm GMT).
11.44 Steenkamp's modelling agency, Ice Model Management, has issued a statement saying staff are "shocked and devastated" by the news.
Everyone at Ice Model Management and Ice Genetics is absolutely shocked & devastated by the news!
Reeva has been with the Ice family for some seven years now and she was a wonderful, beautiful, & caring soul & will be missed immensely.
It is indeed a very sad day for all those that loved & treasured her, our hearts are broken.
Our thoughts, prayers & condolences are with her family and friends.
11.39 We now have a video of the police press conference from earlier, in which a spokeswoman dismisses early reports that Pistorius mistook Steenkamp for a burglar and reveals that officers had been called to the athlete's address before to deal with "allegations of a domestic nature".
Police have still not formally identified Steenkamp as the victim, but have confirmed that a 30-year-old woman was shot four times in the head and chest and said they will oppose bail for Pistorius.
11.30 Oscar Pistorius's official website has been updated to remove a Nike ad banner across the top that had become highly inappropriate. via Angel Jones on Twitter.
11.22 British heptahtlete Jessica Ennis reacted to the news on Twitter this morning.
Similar reactions were posted by other British athletes and Olympians, including triple jumper Phillips Idowu:
and Jonnie Peacock, who simply said:
11.18 Silver Woods Country Estate, the gated community in which Pistorius lived and the murder took place, has issued a statement.
We are deeply saddened by the tragic circumstances that occurred today at Silver Woods. Our sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to Reeva Steenkamp’s family and friends.
The website describes the gated community as a "prestigious security estate".
11.05
Oscar Pistorius leaves the Boschkop police station, east of Pretoria, South Africa en route to appear in court charged with murder. Pistorius's unusually quick appearance in court was reportedly requested by the athlete himself.
AP Photo/Chris Collingridge
10.47 Police are opposing requests for bail as Pistorius prepares to appear in court at 2pm. The force is also yet to formally confirm the identity of the victim but the modelling agent of Pistorius's girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp has reportedly confirmed it was Steenkamp who was shot four times by the athlete in the early hours of this morning.
10.34 Brigadier Denise Beukes of the South African Police has told reporters the force is "very surprised" by the suggestion that Pistorius mistook Steenkamp for a burglar, clarifying that the reports did not come from the police. She also revealed that police have been called to Pistorius's address before to deal with "allegations of a domestic nature".
A Pretoria Police spokeswoman talks to reporters outside Oscar Pistorius's gated community. (EPA)
10.21 Citing a court official in Pretoria, ITV's Africa correspondent Rohit Kachroo reports that Pistorius is due to appear in court in two hours.
10.11 Pistorius's interest in firearms was highlighted in a New York Times profile, 'The Fast Life of Oscar Pistorius', published early last year.
Pistorius lives in the house with a friend from high school, an engineer who moonlights as a mixed-martial-arts fighter. Pistorius had recently broken off a relationship with his longtime girlfriend, though another young woman was visiting when we got there. As he put together lunch for all of us — fruit smoothies, breaded chicken fillets he pulled from the refrigerator — he mentioned that a security alarm in the house had gone off the previous night, and he had grabbed his gun and tiptoed downstairs. (It turned out to be nothing.)
. . .
“We should go to the range,” he said. He fetched his 9-millimeter handgun and two boxes of ammunition. We got back in the car and drove to a nearby firing range, where he instructed me on proper technique. Pistorius was a good coach. A couple of my shots got close to the bull’s-eye, which delighted him. “Maybe you should do this more,” he said. “If you practiced, I think you could be pretty deadly.” I asked him how often he came to the range. “Just sometimes when I can’t sleep,” he said.
The home of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius in a gated housing complex in Pretoria, South Africa (AP Photo/VNS24/7)
10.03 Karyn Maughan, a legal journalist at South Africa's eNCA, reports that Pistorius was in "massive shock" when police arrived at his house in a gated complex in Pretoria in the early hours.
09.59 My colleague Aislinn Laing spoke to us over the phone earlier about the events that have unfolded so far this morning.
09.47
The incident happened in the early hours of Thursday morning at Pistorius's home in the Silver Woods complex in the Boschkop area of Pretoria, seen here.
South African police vehicles from Boschkop Police Station enter the Siver Woods Country Estate in Pretoria (EPA)
09.35 Pistorius was born in Johannesburg in 1986, the second of three children, with a congenital condition which meant that both calf bones were missing. He turned to athletics in 2003 following a rugby injury, sprinting as part of his rehabilitation.
At 17 he won gold in the Paralympics T44 – an event for single and double leg amputees – 200 metres – in a world record time of 21.97 secs – and bronze in the 100 metres.
“I’m not disabled, I just don’t have any legs,” he has always asserted.
09.22 Oscar Pistorious has been charged with murder. Police spokeswoman Sarah Mcira has confirmed that the 26-year-old has been charged. Police now have 48 hours to question him and continue investigations before he is brought before the court. Mcira adds that Pistorius could appear in court as early as this afternoon.
09.09 Mr Pistorius' agent Peet van Zyl has told The Daily Telegraph he was heading to Pretoria to speak to his client:
I hope I can have access to him at the police station. At this point in time I can't give any details about what has happened.
Oscar is a humble person and a lovely guy - I'm sure what's happened has been a terrible mistake but I really don't have the details at the moment.
Two recently tweeted photos of Reeva Steenkamp, who has been named in South African media as the victim
08.42 The Telegraph's South African correspondent, Aislinn Laing, writes:
South Africa continues to be one of the most violent countries in the world and many people have personal firearms in their homes in case of robberies, which frequently involve terrifying violence. Last year alone, there were 16,766 reported cases of house robberies alone.
There have been several tragic cases where people have killed members of their own household who they mistook for intruders. Last November, a father was arrested for shooting dead his 15-year-old daughter in their garden as she returned home from a night out with friends.
William Booth, a criminal lawyer based in Cape Town, said that the law provided some self-defence protection.
"The law says that you are entitled to shoot somebody if that person is attacking you or another person," he said.
"You are also entitled to shoot somebody even if that person is not armed with a firearm but if you believe that intruder is going to cause serious harm or death to you or someone else in your house.
"In South Africa many many housebreakers and house robbers kill people because they get in the way and they don't want to be identified, or because they are high on drugs.
"These things can however lead to tragic circumstances because people are very fearful given the levels of violence and sometimes could act too soon."
South Africa's Oscar Pistorius starts in the men's 400-meter semifinal during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
08.36 The incident happened at 3AM local time (1AM GMT). Police Captain Sarah Mcira said they would confirm the arrested man's identity, and the woman's, when he appeared before magistrates:
We are investigating all the allegations. We don't know what has transpired yet. This happened at 3am - we are still speaking to the estate security guards.
I would imagine (the man in custody) is badly shaken.
08.28 Former British runner Iwan Thomas has tweeted:
08.16 South African media have reported that the shooting could have been a "Valentine's Day surprise" that went tragically wrong. Miss Steenkampa tweeted on Wednesday:
08.12 The woman has been widely named as Reeva Steenkampa, a cover girl for the local edition of FHM magazine. Miss Steenkamp is understood to have given an interview to South Africa’s Sunday Times last weekend about her life with Mr Pistorius. Police have not yet named the victim.
08.00 (10.00 SAST) Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the news that Oscar Pistorius has reportedly shot dead his girlfriend, named by South African media as Reeva Steenkamp.