PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority acknowledged that the timing of attempted murder charges against a police detective leading the investigation into Oscar Pistorius is "totally weird" and that he should dropped from the case against the world-famous athlete.
Bulewa Makeke, spokeswoman for the NPA, said Thursday that detective Hilton Botha should be replaced, but that it's a decision for police and not prosecutors.
Police said Thursday that Botha, who gave testimony Wednesday opposing Pistorius' application for bail, faces attempted murder charges in connection with a 2011 shooting incident.
Police said Botha and two other police officers had fired at a minibus and will appear in court in May to face seven counts of attempted murder.
Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder in the Valentine's Day shooting of his girlfriend.
