I Am the Bullet in the Chamber': Nike Gun-Themed Ad Yanked From Olympic Athlete's Website Following Murder Charges

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Oscar Pistorius, the paralympic athlete known worldwide as “Blade Runner,” on Thursday was charged with the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

“[A]fter undergoing police questioning, Pistorius left a police station accompanied by officers,” The Associated Press reports. “He looked down as photographers snapped pictures, the hood on his gray workout jacket pulled up, covering most of his face.”

Steenkamp was shot four times in her home in Pretoria, South Africa, police said.

And rather than wait for Pistorius’ court hearing on Friday, it appears that some advertisers have already shifted into damage control mode.

For instance, the following Nike ad was on the noted athlete's website just a few hours ago:

Twitter

Perhaps realizing the dark irony of the ad’s tagline (“I’m the bullet in the chamber”), it has since been removed.

Also, according to a Twitter user in South Africa, at least one advertiser has pulled a billboard featuring Pistorius’ image:

Twitter

"Wow, that was quick," user dion chang tweeted.

Of course, it's possible that this is simply a regularly scheduled change -- or it could be that advertisers are starting to slowly back away from Pistorius.

Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter

(H/T: Twitchy). Front page photo courtesy Getty Images.