Reply #3: Opposite extreme: retreat rule [View All]

[Deep13]

In Ohio lethal force is only justified to protect against loss of life. One has a duty to retreat before resorting to lethal violence. This effectively means that the crime victim must prove to the jury that under the circumstances, he or she had no other choice. While there is generally no duty to retreat from ones home, the rule allowing lethal force to protect ones life only still applies. If someone is in the process of burning my house down, I cannot use lethal force to stop him if I can leave without risk of serious injury.