Having been in a similar situation on the job, I can empathize. The problem is in some jurisdictions, chemical devices (Mace) are also illegal. In our municipality it was covered under our long-gun ordinance. So you have to be careful no matter what happens.
In your scenario, I could see a defense attorney argue that just because you were surrounded by 8 subjects, it may not justify the use of deadly force. Especially, if none of the 8 were armed with a weapon. As hard as that is to believe, a good defense attorney will argue that the other 7 were there by “happenstance” and were only there to “watch”.
There are no easy cut and dried answers which is why pulling a weapon should only be a last resort response.
In my scenario...a lawyer could argue anything he wanted. When 8 guys start to surround you and you are many miles from help, what a lawyer could argue in court doesn’t matter. And let’s face it, no one picks a fight using a 6-shot 22 LR against 8 guys....
As it was (decades ago), I left and never filed any report. I seriously doubt they did. They didn’t strike me as liking cops, so to speak. I’ve never come close to pulling a gun in self-defense since.