The question of whether deadly force was justified will be a decision made by the police, THE MEDIA, then the DA, and then perhaps a jury.
Given that even if a jury would find your use of force justified, you will go through an experience no one would ever want to go through to get there.... (financial ruin)
Given that EVEN people who were never arrested and never charged suggest that using deadly force was an experience they would never want to go through again (court of public opinion)
The question we should all be asking ourselves when we think of situations and scenario's is NOT whether deadly force would be justified. It is whether deadly force can be avoided and to avoid ALL conflict whenever possible.
The judgment of whether the use of deadly force was justified will be arbitrary. One jury may find one way, one jury another. A DA in Milwaukee may decide to charge what a DA in Waukesha would not.
The whole "armed society is a polite society" isn't true because you get to shoot someone who is rude to you.... Its true because when you are armed, you know its BETTER to let someone be rude to you than instigate an armed conflict. And as such you avoid conflict at all costs. Every conflict you have, verbal or otherwise, is an armed conflict if you are armed.
I don't know what a jury would decide about this guy's case.
I don't know what a DA would decide about this guy's case.
I DO KNOW that whatever would be decided, if it were me, and I were ARMED OR NOT, I'd NEVER engage a bunch of punk kids. If they are enough of a bunch of punks to be shouting obscenities in a parking lot, they aren't going to listen to a reasonable person asking them to stop.
What the hell was this guy thinking engaging a bunch of punk kids? Did he think they would all say "hey, that guy is right, we are acting like hooligans" and apologize?
Get real.
This guy was STUPID. Perhaps dumber than the thugs that beat on him. He knew better, they probably didn't. He has something to lose going to jail, they probably don't.
Unless these thugs were actively putting someone else's life/safety in danger, he should have got in his car and called police as he drove away. If they spit on his car he could have had the last laugh when the police were stuffing them in the back of a squad car for disorderly conduct.