OldMarksman
Staff
You basically agreed with me (or I with you, if you prefer) until you used the word "immediate." There are no doubt burglars that are unarmed and will choose to flee if discovered; some people who have posted in this discussion have opined that they are in the majority, but I don't recall anything being cited to support that, and whether they are a majority or a substantial minority may not affect your decision in a moment in which you are dealing with an individual. So then the question is, are you justified in shooting a fleeing person? I personally answered no, because I would consider his flight to be a removal of the threat. If he advances toward me in that situation, I would have to consider that an escalation to aggression on his part, and I would be able to fire. With regret at likely taking a human life.
That decision takes a fraction of a second. Is there some risk to it? Yes, but justifiable risk for my own peace of mind.
I do agree with you. My sentence was poorly constructed. I was teeing off on the concept of "immediately necessary."
I agree with your next paragraph also.