Quote Originally Posted by richard pries View Post
if a person breaks into your house and hurts a person can you use deadly force if they are running away and not facing you. correction DEFENSE
A homeowner in Anaheim Hills, Ca confronted a burglar in his garage. The burglar hit the home owner with a shovel. The homeowner went upstairs and retrieved his shotgun. He came back to his garage in time to see the burglar running down the sidewalk. He shot the burglar, and the burglar was apprehended as the police arrived on the scene.

Several months later, the District Attorney declined to charge the homeowner, even though it is illegal to shoot someone running away. The DA felt it was not possible to find a jury that would convict the home owner.

I would say that incident was an exception to the rule.