From The Times said:Oscar Pistorius, the South African paralympian known as the blade runner, has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend, the model Reeva Steenkamp.
Ms Steenkamp was shot dead overnight in Pistoriuss house in the upmarket Silver Lakes area of Pretoria and the athlete is due to appear in court this afternoon for a bail hearing.
Witnesses claimed to have heard things at the house earlier yesterday evening. Previous incidents of a domestic nature had taken place at the Pistorius home, said Brigadier Denise Beukes of the South African police.
A police spokesman, Katlego Mogale, said earlier: A 26-year-old man has been taken into custody for shooting a 30-year-old woman.
The deceased was shot four times and died on the scene. It is believed that she was the girlfriend of the accused, Ms Mogale added.
There were unconfirmed reports that the 3am tragedy may have been a Valentines Day surprise gone wrong. South African news outlets said that Pistorius may have mistaken his girlfriend for a burglar, but Brigadier Beukes said that that version of events had not come from the police.
In one of her final tweets, Ms Steenkamp asked What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow??? under the hash-tags #getexcited and #valentinesday.
Ms Steenkamp had been dating the internationally acclaimed sprinter for almost a year.
Ms Mogale said that police recovered a 9mm pistol from the scene. Officials later said that Mr Pistorius was waiting for police to arrive, but that someone else made the emergency call.
In a brief statement to the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation, the athletes father, Henke, said his heart went out to the relatives of the dead woman, who has not been named officially.
In a statement offering its condolences to the families of all concerned, South Africas Olympic Committee said it understood from local media reports that there has been an alleged fatal shooting on the basis of a mistaken identity and an apparent assumption of a burglary.
Police Captain Sarah Meira told the South African news website DieBeeld that the woman had been shot in the head and arm.
Pistorius earned international acclaim after becoming the first double amputee to compete in the able-bodied Olympics, using carbon fibre blades in lieu of his lower legs, both of which were amputated because of a a congenital disorder when he was just 11 months old.
He reached the semi-finals of the 400 metres at London 2012, but has also endured controversy over claims that his prosthetic limbs give him an unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes.
His sponsors will now be taking stock of their association to a fallen icon. His lucrative endorsement contracts are with BT, Nike, Oakley sunglasses, Thierry Mugler, the French fashion house, and Ossur, which makes his running blades. A spokesman for BT said: We are shocked by this terrible, tragic news. We await the outcome of the South African police investigation.
Fast Track, the agency that represents him in the UK, declined to comment.
Athletes waking up today began to react on Twitter. What an awful tragedy, Jessica Ennis said. Thoughts and prayers with you, Phillips Idowu added.
Pistorius last high-profile public appearance was on Piers Morgans show in the United States.
Tributes to the Ms Steenkamp who described herself as a law graduate, model and covergirl began appearing on Twitter immediately after first reports of her death emerged this morning.
You will be missed Reeva - your tweets made me laugh.RIP. this is a tragic day for all South Africans, crime claims another, said one Twitter user.
Im so sorry this had to happen to you! You are a beautiful angel now.... You made me smile! Until we meet again, said another.
South Africa has some of the worlds highest rates of violent crime and many home-owners carry weapons to defend themselves against intruders.
Wow.