Oscar Pistorius recounts moment of killing
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has described the moment he fired the shots which killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home.
He told his trial in Pretoria he had heard noises from the toilet and thought an intruder was coming out. "Before I knew it, I had fired four shots at the door," he said.
The trial of the athlete, who could face life imprisonment if convicted of murder, was adjourned until Wednesday after he broke down crying.
The 27-year-old double amputee denies deliberately shooting Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year, according to a news agency.
On his first day on the stand, Monday, he made a tearful apology to Ms Steenkamp's family.
The prosecution alleges that Mr Pistorius killed his girlfriend after an argument with her.
In the early hours of 14 February 2013, he said he had got up from bed to bring in some fans he had left outside, in order to cool his bedroom.
When he heard a window opening in the bathroom, he said, he thought there was a burglar trying to get in.
Wanting to protect Ms Steenkamp, who was not sleeping, he had gone to get his gun in the dark. "I whispered to Reeva to get down and phone the police," he said.