Who struck first has zero to do with the use of necessary force to defend oneself from deadly physical force. To be clearer, let's assume Z struck Martin first. If TM responded by beating Z to the point he feared for his life, Z was within his rights to use necessary force to stop the attack. It's called self defense. Jethro Tull posted on 2013-08-06 23:11:52 ET
Poster Comment:
It does matter who hit who first. You can't attack someone by starting a fight then claim self defense.
