Pistorius murder trial jury hears how he accidentally shot gun in public

PRETORIA, South Africa, March 5 (UPI) -- Jurors in the murder trial of amputee South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius heard testimony Wednesday about how he accidentally fired a gun in a restaurant.

Professional boxer Kevin Lerena, a friend of Pistorius, also testified that the sprinter asked his friend to take the blame, information that was contained in a separate firearms charge, Britain's the Guardian reported.

The 26-year-old Pistorius, a double-amputee Paralympian, is charged with deliberately killing his girlfriend, 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria home Feb. 14, 2013. He said he thought he was shooting at an intruder when he fired his gun into a closed bathroom door.

Also testifying for the prosecution were Jason and Maris Loupis, who were at the restaurant when the incident occurred in January 2013, the Guardian reported. They both said Pistorius' group was apologetic and left soon after the incident.

Also Wednesday, chief defense counsel Barry Roux tried to undermine prosecution testimony of Michelle Burger and spouse Charl Johnson, neighbors of Pistorius who said they heard screams before shots were fired.

Roux argued that similarities in the Burger's and Johnson's accounts indicated they had conferred, which Johnson denied.

The trial will resume Thursday.