Can a liquor store owner shoot a robber when robber's gun is pointed at owner's wife or employee?

Question

or does the robber's gun has to be pointed directly at the liquor store owner? I mean in legal stand point. Or is the liquor store liable for a civil suit by the family of robber since gun was not directed at the owner & owner's life was not in immediate danger but instead his wife's or employee's life were.

liquor store is in Los angeles county

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

Any person, law enforcement or not, has statuatory protection when they use force to defend their own lives or the lives of another.  In MN the statute is 609.06, but I know that California has the same type of statute.

Answer 3

To sum up the law, deadly force may be used to save your own life or someone else's from an imminent unlawful deadly threat. In this case it is justified. The suspects family can file a civil suit but it will most likely be thrown out by a judge.  

Answer 4

bang bang.  Robber's dead.

Not sure about in LA county, but in SC, that would be a lawful shoot, case closed, as long as the store owner could legally have a gun.

A civil suit would surely be filed, but should get tossed quite quickly.

In SC, defense of other's is a justifiable use of deadly force.  It should be everywhere.

Answer 5

Iirrespective of the law, I would first do the correct action by protecting another person or myself irregardless of any law, I would not allow anyone to die at the hands of a criminal even if the law said different!