Oscar Pistorius charged with murder in death of model girlfriend NEW: Oscar Pistorius has been charged NEW: His first court appearance will be Friday Pistorius' spokeswoman said he is assisting police with the investigation Police say there have been allegations of previous domestic incidents at the home Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend at his South Africa home early Thursday. Reeva Steenkamp, 29, and Pistorius, 26, were the only two people in the upscale Pretoria home at the time of the shooting, police spokeswoman Denise Beukes said. In keeping with South African law, Pistorius will be named officially as the suspect when he appears in court. The first court appearance is scheduled for Friday. The state will oppose bail, Beukes said. Pistorius will not appear Thursday because the public prosecutor needs more time to prepare the case, police spokeswoman Katlego Mogale told CNN. He arrived Thursday at a police station in Pretoria. Pistorius spokeswoman Kate Silvers said the athlete is "assisting the police with their investigation but there will be no further comment until matters become clearer later today." Police said Pistorius is cooperating with them. Read more: Who was Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend? There did not appear to be signs of forced entry at the home, Beukes said. She also said there had been "previous incidents" at the home -- "allegations of a domestic nature." Steenkamp was a model. Capacity Relations, the agency that represented her, said she was the victim. Read more: 'Blade runner' Pistorius: Track hero at center of shooting probe Beukes said she was aware of those reports, but they did not come from the police force. Pistorius' father, Henke, told the South African Broadcasting Corp. his son was "sad at the moment." Beukes said that police were alerted to the shooting by neighbors and that residents "heard things earlier." However, Beukes said, "This is a very quiet area and this is a secure estate." Pistorius, a double amputee, ran with the aid of prosthetic limbs during the London Olympics last year. His legs were amputated below the knee when he was a toddler because of a bone defect. He runs on special carbon fiber blades that led to his nickname. While he failed to win a medal in the Olympics, his presence on the track was lauded as an example of victory over adversity and a lesson in dedication toward a goal. Pistorius was initially refused permission to compete against able-bodied runners, but he hired a legal team to prove that his artificial limbs didn't give him an unfair advantage. The athlete was among the men featured in People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue last year. CNN's Nkepile Mabuse reported from Pretoria; CNN's Josh Levs and Faith Karimi reported from Atlanta. CNN's Richard Allen Greene and Marilia Brocchetto contributed to this report.