Pistorius fired gun in Johannesburg restaurant in January

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius accidentally fired a gun shot in a busy Melrose Arch restaurant in Johannesburg in January, narrowly missing a friend's foot, according to a report.

Times Live in South Africa said the bullet almost hit the foot of Kevin Lerena, a boxer and mutual friend of Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp, reported the Beeld.

Lerena said it was a "freak accident" and the gun belonged to Pistorius' friend.

Pistorius is accused of murdering his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day. He will appear in court on Tuesday.

The latest reports follow claims the 26-year-old has been tested for steroids after the banned drug was found at the home where he is accused of murdering his model girlfriend.

The police requested the test be done in anticipation of a possible argument that he experienced “roid rage” – extremely aggressive behaviour associated with taking large doses of steroids, City Press reported.

According to The Sun newspaper, evidence of steroid use was found at his home.

Meanwhile Pistorius' family has hired a top spindoctor from Britain to help in the fight to clear his name, Beeld newspaper in South Africa reported.

Stuart Higgins, a former editor of the tabloid The Sun, is already in the country and in talks with his family. A top pathologist Dr. Reggie Perumal has also been hired to help in the family's investigation of the events.

It follows new claims on Sunday that a bloody cricket bat was found at Oscar Pistorius' home following the murder.

South Africa's City Press reported that officials are investigating different scenarios that could have unfolded with the bat, but reports state that 29-year-old Steenkamp's head was reportedly "crushed." 

Tests are being done to find out if the bat was the cause of her head injuries. 

"There was lots of blood on the bat," a police source told Jagran Post. "The suspicion is that the first shot, in the bedroom, hit her in the hip. She then ran and hid herself in the toilet… He fired three more shots." 

It is also possible that Steenkamp used the bat to defend herself.

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel said last week that he planned to argue that the Olympian had committed a "premeditated murder," the New York Daily News reported. 

On Friday, the Pistorius family released a statement describing Steenkamp's “terrible, terrible tragedy” and disputing the murder charges "in the strongest terms." 

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