Police have said that Indiana Pacers forward Stephen Jackson appeared to be justified when he fired five gunshots outside a Westside strip club early Friday, the Indianapolis Star is reporting.

"Right now, from all the evidence we've gathered," said Sgt. Matthew Mount, an Indianapolis Police Department spokesman, it looks like Jackson and three teammates "were the victims in this case."

Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie "Snap" Hunter were involved in the shooting incident Friday morning at Club Rio, 5054 W. 38th St.

Jackson fired five shots from a 9 mm handgun after a man punched him in the face and tried to run him over with a car outside the club at 3 a.m., Mount said.

Marion County prosecutors will evaluate the evidence and make the ultimate decision on whether Jackson or his teammates will face charges. A spokesman for the office declined to comment Friday.

Jackson's actions appear to be on safe legal ground, said Indianapolis defense attorney Jack Crawford.

Everyone, Crawford said, has a right to use deadly force to protect himself or another person from harm.

"The question is, did he reasonably believe he or others were still in danger?" Crawford said. "It can't be an act of revenge or retaliation. It has to be to protect himself."

The incident began with an exchange of words inside the club and spilled into the parking lot as the Pacers tried to leave.

One man slugged Jackson in the jaw, bloodying his mouth. The other men got into a blue Oldsmobile, and the car struck Jackson.

"We're not sure if he just went over the hood or he went over the whole car," Mount said.