A TERRIFIED Reeva Steenkamp was hiding behind a toilet door facing Oscar Pistorius when he shot and killed her, following her with continuous rapid gunshots as she fell dying.
This was according to prosecutor Gerrie Nel yesterday, who charged that bullet groupings indicated Pistorius’ version of how he gunned down his girlfriend was not only improbable, but was a lie.
Pistorius said in his bail application and plea explanation he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder.
“She was talking to you ... scared ... she had fled for her life, from you,” Nel said to Pistorius.
The state alleges Steenkamp was first shot in the hip, falling onto the magazine rack in the locked toilet, screaming out in pain.
It was as she fell and landed on the rack that she was shot in the arm, hand and head.
“What was the noise that you say you heard? You say it sounded like wood. The door was locked. You have testified you didn’t hear the lock of the door opening, so what was it? Explain,” demanded Nel.
Pistorius said, with hindsight, he thought it was a wooden magazine rack in the toilet cubicle moving.
“Exactly what I thought you would say. The first bullet hole shows you shot her in the right hip first as she stood facing the door. Even your pathologist agrees to this.
“When she fell on the magazine rack you carried on following the sounds, shooting a close grouping ... following Reeva as she fell.”
Earlier, Pistorius had told the Pretoria High Court he had shouted a warning at the suspected intruder in the early hours of February 14 last year.
“I said: ‘Get the f**k out my house, get the f**k out!’”
Tackling him over this, Nel said: “You screamed at them to get out of your house but whoever was behind that door you never gave them a chance ... whether they were armed, unarmed, a child, you just fired. You fired at Reeva.”
Pistorius cried he never intended to shoot anyone.
“I shot at the noise. I got a fright. It was a mistake. I didn’t mean to shoot anyone.”
Nel retorted: “Then what was your intention? Why take the safety off if you were not intending to shoot someone? If you knew they were trapped, how else could they have got out of the bathroom?
“You say the toilet window, but that’s a two-storey drop. Surely not?” asked Nel.
Nel refused to relent even when Pistorius became emotional on the stand.
“You are not using your emotional state to escape, are you Mr Pistorius? Are you getting emotional because you were screaming at Reeva, telling her to f**k off out of your house?
“Her clothes were packed neatly except for her jeans. Was she not trying to leave after the argument you had?
“The blood stains on the duvet running past the jeans on the floor show it was not on the bed as you allege, right?”
Pistorius was unable to explain.
In earlier testimony, Pistorius alleged police had tampered with evidence in his bedroom – moving the duvet as well as a bedroom fan, something Nel disputes as improbable.
Nel also questioned Pistorius on why he had not fired a warning shot.
Proceedings continue today.
State alleges Pistorius’ shots followed Reeva
This was according to prosecutor Gerrie Nel yesterday, who charged that bullet groupings indicated Pistorius’ version of how he gunned down his girlfriend was not only improbable, but was a lie.
Pistorius said in his bail application and plea explanation he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder.
“She was talking to you ... scared ... she had fled for her life, from you,” Nel said to Pistorius.
The state alleges Steenkamp was first shot in the hip, falling onto the magazine rack in the locked toilet, screaming out in pain.
It was as she fell and landed on the rack that she was shot in the arm, hand and head.
“What was the noise that you say you heard? You say it sounded like wood. The door was locked. You have testified you didn’t hear the lock of the door opening, so what was it? Explain,” demanded Nel.
Pistorius said, with hindsight, he thought it was a wooden magazine rack in the toilet cubicle moving.
“Exactly what I thought you would say. The first bullet hole shows you shot her in the right hip first as she stood facing the door. Even your pathologist agrees to this.
“When she fell on the magazine rack you carried on following the sounds, shooting a close grouping ... following Reeva as she fell.”
Earlier, Pistorius had told the Pretoria High Court he had shouted a warning at the suspected intruder in the early hours of February 14 last year.
“I said: ‘Get the f**k out my house, get the f**k out!’”
Tackling him over this, Nel said: “You screamed at them to get out of your house but whoever was behind that door you never gave them a chance ... whether they were armed, unarmed, a child, you just fired. You fired at Reeva.”
Pistorius cried he never intended to shoot anyone.
“I shot at the noise. I got a fright. It was a mistake. I didn’t mean to shoot anyone.”
Nel retorted: “Then what was your intention? Why take the safety off if you were not intending to shoot someone? If you knew they were trapped, how else could they have got out of the bathroom?
“You say the toilet window, but that’s a two-storey drop. Surely not?” asked Nel.
Nel refused to relent even when Pistorius became emotional on the stand.
“You are not using your emotional state to escape, are you Mr Pistorius? Are you getting emotional because you were screaming at Reeva, telling her to f**k off out of your house?
“Her clothes were packed neatly except for her jeans. Was she not trying to leave after the argument you had?
“The blood stains on the duvet running past the jeans on the floor show it was not on the bed as you allege, right?”
Pistorius was unable to explain.
In earlier testimony, Pistorius alleged police had tampered with evidence in his bedroom – moving the duvet as well as a bedroom fan, something Nel disputes as improbable.
Nel also questioned Pistorius on why he had not fired a warning shot.
Proceedings continue today.
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