My point being is at what point are you sure they are fleeing, 5 feet, 10 feet, there is a distance but what is it coupled with behavior - head down running or circling around you still in a group. Typically if fleeing roaches scatter not stick together.
Basically a moot argument until you are there, ala shades of Zimmerman.
If you pull your gun out and the assailants run away, you can’t shoot them. Legally.
The poster I originally responded to said that we would have shot them.
Of course, if conditions are different then you can act differently. But any self-defense claim must be based on a reasonable suspicion of a grave threat to your life.
Shooting people in the back who are running away doesn’t pass this test.