Oscar Pistorius was granted bail Friday, allowing him to walk free while his pending trial in the Valentine's Day shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp continues.
Pistorius' family members and supporters shouted "Yes!" when Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair made his decision after a near two-hour explanation of his ruling.
The double-amputee, who's next scheduled court appearance is set for June 4, was given a bail set at 1 million rand ($113,000), with $11,300 in cash. The magistrate said Pistorius must hand over his passports and also turn in any other guns that he owns. Pistorius also cannot leave the district of Pretoria without the permission of his probation officer, Nair said.
Nair made the ruling after four days of discussions from prosecution and defense in Pistorius' bail hearing.
Nair said Pistorius' confession, in which he gave his version of the events of the shooting on the morning of Feb. 14 in a sworn statement, had helped his application for bail in Pretoria Magistrate's Court.
"That reaching out in the affidavit, the way that he did, placing it before the court," Nair said. "I come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be released on bail."
The arrest of the double-amputee athlete shocked South Africa, which awoke the morning of Valentine's Day to hear that Steenkamp had been shot to death at Pistorius' home in a gated community in an eastern suburb of South Africa's capital, Pretoria.
Steenkamp, 29, was declared dead shortly after 3 am on Thursday morning at Pistorius' home in a gated compound outside Pretoria. She had been shot in the head, hand, hip and arm, and her skull was reportedly fractured. Pistorius, 26, was arrested immediately, and claimed that he mistook Steenkamp for a burglar.
Pistorius made history at the London Olympics last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete at any games. He didn't win a medal but did make the semifinals of the 400 meters and the final of the 4X400 relay, propelling the world's best-known Paralympian to the level of an international track star and one of the world's best-known sportsmen.
