PRETORIA, South Africa — A South African police ballistics expert on Tuesday showed how he estimated the trajectory of the four bullets Oscar Pistorius fired through a bathroom door while standing on his stumps to kill his girlfriend.
Capt. Christiaan Mangena said Pistorius shot at a slightly downward angle into the cubicle where Reeva Steenkamp was, with the bullet holes about 3 feet high in the wood door. Pistorius was about 7 feet away from the door when he shot, Mangena said.
The testimony, which began to deal with the crux of the case, came late in Tuesday’s court proceedings.
Pistorius, 27, is charged with premeditated murder for killing Steenkamp, 29. He pleaded not guilty and says he shot her accidentally. Prosecutors charge that Pistorius killed Steenkamp in a rage after a loud argument that caused her to flee to the bathroom.
