A witness heard gunshots, screaming, and then more shots fired at the home of athlete Oscar Pistorius on the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed, a police officer has said.
Day two of his bail hearing in Pretoria also heard police suggest Mr Pistorius could be a flight risk.
He denies the premeditated murder of Ms Steenkamp, his girlfriend, saying he mistook her for an intruder.
A full trial of the Paralympic star, 26, is not expected for months.
However, allegations of what happened on Valentine’s Day last week have continued to emerge in the packed courtroom.
The second day of the bail hearing saw Mr Pistorius hit by claims the police and prosecution say undermine his defence.
But his defence team then hit back with a tough questioning of the morning’s main witness – chief investigative officer Hilton Botha – leaving him “on the ropes, floundering”, says the BBC’s Andrew Harding in court.
Interest in the case is at fever pitch, correspondents say.
As the prosecution began setting out its case on Wednesday, it said a witness had testified to hearing “non-stop talking like fighting” between the hours of 02:00 and 03:00 on 14 February.
Mr Botha – the first officer to arrive on the scene – later said another witness had testified to hearing screams and gunshots from the house.
“We have statement of a person who said after he heard gunshots, he went to his balcony and saw the light was on. Then he heard a female screaming two-three times, then more gunshots,” Mr Botha told the court, according to AFP news agency.
Mr Pistorius claims he was asleep until only moments before the shooting and that there was no argument between the couple.
Earlier, Mr Botha said he arrived at the house at 04:15 and found Ms Steenkamp lying dead on the ground floor. She was wearing white shorts and a black vest, he said – apparently supporting a prosecution claim that she was dressed – and was covered in towels.
A lawyer and Mr Pistorius’s brother were already at the scene.
Mr Botha said a memory stick was recovered with details of Mr Pistorius’s offshore bank accounts – and claimed that made him a flight risk.
And he said Mr Pistorius would face an additional charge of possessing unlicensed ammunition – though the defence later claimed the ammunition belonged to the athlete’s father.
Ms Steenkamp was shot in the right side of her head, her right hip and her right elbow, Mr Botha said.
He later testified that he thought the bullets were fired “down”, suggesting Mr Pistorius had his prosthetic legs on.
Mr Pistorius has claimed he was walking on his stumps – making him feel particularly vulnerable – but the prosecution has argued he stopped to put his legs on, adding weight to its case that the shooting was premeditated.
Mr Botha said police found two boxes of the male sex hormone testosterone and needles in Mr Pistorius’s bedroom.
But Mr Botha was later put on the defensive when questioned by Mr Pistorius’s lawyer, says the BBC’s Andrew Harding.
courtesy:bbcnews
Tags: bladerunner, Oscar, pistorious, shot, steenkamp
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