Off-Duty New York City Officer Kills Man In Shootout At Nightclub

NEW YORK (AP) -- An off-duty police officer trying to protect a wounded colleague shot and killed a gun-toting patron at a Brooklyn nightclub early Saturday, police said.<br/><br/>NYPD spokesman Paul J.

Saturday, March 10th 2007, 6:45 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) -- An off-duty police officer trying to protect a wounded colleague shot and killed a gun-toting patron at a Brooklyn nightclub early Saturday, police said.

NYPD spokesman Paul J. Browne called the slaying justified.

Fighting had broken out on the dance floor and was spreading to other parts of the building when a 21-year-old man pulled a 9mm pistol and fired, police said.

An unarmed, off-duty officer tackled the man and tried to disarm him, but the suspect wound up on top of the prone officer, who suffered a gunshot to his left foot.

It was unclear whether the wound came from the first shot, or during the struggle for the weapon, police said.

A second off-duty police officer -- this one armed -- then leveled his gun and fired, striking the suspect four times, police said. NYPD officials said he identified himself as a police officer before opening fire.

Authorities did not identify the officers or the slain man.

NYPD regulations require officers to carry their guns at all times while in the city, except in limited circumstances when they anticipate they may become intoxicated. The officer who fired the fatal shots was not drunk, police said.