New York, NY —

Police say an off-duty officer who shot and killed a man at a Brooklyn nightclub early yesterday was trying to protect the life of a wounded colleague.

The shooting early Saturday morning came during a fight at a dance hall in East New York. Police say the scuffle broke out on the dance floor and was spreading to other parts of the club when a 21-year-old man pulled a pistol and fired.

One off-duty officer tackled the man and tried to disarm him, but was shot in the foot. Police say another off-duty officer fired at the suspect to keep him from shooting the wounded cop a second time.

An NYPD spokesman said the shooting appears to have been justified.