When may a person use deadly force in self-defense?

The use of deadly force in self-defense is legally justified when a person is confronted with unlawful force and reasonably fears imminent harm. This means that if someone is facing an immediate threat to their life or serious bodily injury, they are permitted to use deadly force as a means of protection. The key elements here are the nature of the threat (it must be unlawful) and the immediacy of the danger (the person must fear that harm is forthcoming).

This self-defense principle is grounded in the idea that individuals have a right to protect themselves when they are legitimately in danger and have no other options available to avoid harm. The use of deadly force is considered a last resort when one believes that non-lethal alternatives are insufficient to ensure their safety.

In contrast, threats that are purely verbal do not typically warrant deadly force, as they do not constitute unlawful physical aggression. Defending another person may also involve similar reasoning, but that scenario specifically ties into the self-defense laws surrounding the defense of others, which require a perceived threat to that person. Additionally, the requirement to retreat prior to using deadly force can vary by jurisdiction; in many cases, there is no duty to retreat if one is in a place where they have a right to be.