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 may flee if he is granted bail.
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.
The session was adjourned until Thursday, when there could be a
ruling on the bail issue.
As the prosecution began setting out its case on Wednesday, it
said a witness had testified to hearing "non-stop talking like
fighting" between 02:00 and 03:00 on 14 February.
Chief investigative officer Hilton Botha, who was the first
officer at the scene, later said another witness had testified to hearing
screams and gunshots from the house.
But doubts were cast on the validity of that
evidence when Det Botha told court the witness heard the alleged altercation
from some 600m (1,800ft) away.
He later amended his testimony, telling the prosecution after
the lunchtime break the witness was 300m away, not 600m.
Mr Pistorius claims he was asleep until only moments before the
shooting and that there was no argument between the couple.
"I believe that he knew that Reeva was in the bathroom and
he shot four shots through the door," he told the court.
Earlier, Det 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 and was covered in towels.
A lawyer and Mr Pistorius's brother were already
at the scene.
Ms Steenkamp was shot in the right side of her head, her right
hip and her right elbow, Det Botha said.
The officer 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.
Defence lawyers said a post-mortem examination showed Ms
Steenkamp had an empty bladder consistent with someone getting up to go to the
toilet, as detailed in Mr Pistorius's narrative.
The defence accused Det Botha of putting the "worst
possible interpretation" on the evidence.
Det Botha agreed the post-mortem examination had showed no signs
of assault or defensive wounds on Ms Steenkamp.
On Tuesday, Mr Pistorius told the court he had woken in the
middle of the night and heard what he thought was an intruder in the bathroom.
He shot through the door and only then realised Ms Steenkamp was
not in bed.
He said he was "absolutely mortified" at her death.
The magistrate has deemed this a "schedule six" case,
meaning Mr Pistorius is accused of premeditated murder.
His defence team will have to prove the extenuating
circumstances that would justify granting bail.
The first day of the hearing on Tuesday coincided with Ms
Steenkamp's funeral.
The 29-year-old model and law graduate was cremated in her hometown
of Port Elizabeth where her father, Barry Steenkamp, told reporters: "We
have to keep Reeva in our hearts for ever."
Oscar Pistorius won gold medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games in
Athens, in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.
In London he made history by becoming the
first double-amputee to run in the Olympics, making the semi-final of the 400m.
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