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Popular Olympic Runner Charged in Shooting Death of Girlfriend

By John Newland, Jason Cumming and Cecile Antonie, NBC News

Credit: NBC News

The athlete who rose to fame in London last summer as the first amputee runner in the Olympics has reportedly been arrested by South African police after his girlfriend was shot and killed in his home.

February 14, 2013 Updated Feb 14, 2013 at 9:37 AM PDT

Olympic and Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius was charged with murder Thursday after his girlfriend was shot dead at his South African home.

South African Police spokeswoman Denise Beukes said that Pistorius, 26, and the victim were the only people present when the shooting took place. The woman had been shot at least twice, police said.

Pistorius will appear for a court hearing on Friday at 9am local time, the South African prosecutor’s office confirmed.

Numerous media outlets reported that the sprinter -- who is nicknamed "Blade Runner" because he races wearing carbon fiber prosthetic blades -- may have mistaken the woman for an intruder.

Beukes would not confirm the victim's identity, but said investigators were "very surprised" to hear media reports that the shooting was possibly a case of mistaken identity.

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