[Niteranger68]

You want to say something like "He gave me no choice! I was sure he was about to kill me. I had to stop him!" Then you say "I want a lawyer." And then you shut up.

And if you can't say these things with a clear conscience, you have no business pulling the trigger.

Always remember to say why you did something, instead of specifically what you did. "He was going to kill me" is much better than "I was tying to kill him." And per Clint Smith, always demand that the perp be arrested, especially if you're making the 911 call. Just because you may have neutralized the threat doesn't mean an arrestable crime was not committed. If it goes to court, you want the officer stating that you wanted the individual arrested, even before a medical condition was determined.

[Lady Jag]

Absolutely. Say, “I was in fear for my life” instead of, “I shot him.” After that it’s, “Speak to my lawyer.”