Pistorius trial: Witness Timelines 4 (J. Stipp)

Johan Stipp:

Awakened by 3 loud bangs. 

Said to wife “I think it’s gunshots”.   

Went to balcony, looked out.   

Heard screaming. 

Sounded like a female, screamed 3 or 4 times. 

All happened in a few moments.

Believes (but not absolutely sure) that he heard a man’s voice shouting, but lower, at the same time as the woman’s voice.

Went back into room, took phone, called security.   

Ascertained that sounds were coming from a row of houses across from him.   

One house had almost all lights on.   

Pistorius house just to the left of this one had bathroom light on.   

Went inside, phoned Silverwoods security, rang but no answer.   

Called 10111 and got a strange signal.   

While was wondering what number to dial next, heard another 3 loud bangs.   

He says they were “right on top of each other, “bangbangbang”. 

Thought that shooter was shooting again and told wife to get away from the window. 

Then got through to house security at 3:15, told what happened. 

During that time was walking round room, went out on balcony again.   

Heard man’s voice shouting “help, help, help” (3 times).   

Went back inside, waiting for security guards.   

They came, he talked to them from the balcony. 

They went over to Pistorius’ house.

At that time Stipp saw a person moving across the bathroom window from right to left.

On cross :

Woke up that morning to sound of shots.

A few seconds passed while his wife said « What’s that ? »

He said « I think it’s gunshots ».

She said « don’t go out » but he was already getting out of bed and going to his patio.

Heard three or four screams of a lady.

 « Extremely fearful, in extreme emotional anguish, almost scared out of her mind ».  Looked at the house to the right, all the lights were on (house next to Pistorius). 

Then looked at the next house over (Pistorius) and saw bathroom light on.   

Could see top half and left third of bathroom window. 

Claims saw lights, heard screams at same time.

He heard a man’s voice intermingled with the woman’s, maybe once or twice.

He phoned security twice (first couldn’t get through, then spoke to them). 

He heard what he took to be two to three more shots (while on phone). 

Immediately before and during these did not hear screams (but was on phone).   

Then he « found himself back on the patio » and heard man’s voice « help help help ».   

Can’t say how long or exactly how much time elapsed.

Notes : Roux says that the records show that he did get through the first time (16 seconds), and then phoned again (or another number) with no answer.  Stipp responds : « that is not correct, if I spoke to them and they answered, I would not have phoned the other two numbers trying to get help, which I did. » He says he first did not get through, then spoke to them.   Roux says that the phone records show that first call he did speak to security, second call no answer.   Stipp says he phoned security guard, no answer, and then called 10111.  After that called another number or two numbers, couldn’t remember what emergency number was.  None worked out, seemed out of order. Then phoned security again and this time got through.

Stipp says heard « help help help » shortly after speaking to security. 

Previously Roux said that Stipp was on the phone with 10111 at 3 :17.

This was when he heard the « second round » of shots.  

Roux confirms that this « second round » are the same sounds heard at 3 :17 by Burger and Johnson.  

Thus all 3 witnesses agree that screaming was before those sounds of shots. 

Stipp notes that shots heard at 3 :17 and screaming before was just like other witnesses. The main different thing was the noise that woke Stipp up.

Then Stipp went to Pistorius house and he and Stander made calls at 13 :28.

Roux quotes from a previous statement by Stipp in which he says « the screams were extinguished at the time of the last shot ».  This contradicts the statement he just made in court (no screams during the second round of shots).  Roux compares this to Johnson and Burger testimony.  Stipp says that maybe this is because the shots occurred when he was on the phone with noises in his ear that drowned out the screams.

The right-hand pane of Pistorius’ frosted bathroom window was open. Stipp could see the top half and saw someone move inside there from right to left. The left-hand pane was the toilet, it was dark. It didn’t strike Stipp that the right-hand pane was open, he doesn’t remember noticing that, but photos taken after the scene show that in fact it was open.  Lights on in bathroom window (=right-hand pane, but not toilet=left-hand pane) during screams and second set of shots. This contradicts Pistorius statement of pitch darkness. After all the screaming (« after the security guard ? the security call ? ») Roux saw movement in the right-hand side of three vertical-pane window, bathroom window, going from right to left.