The waitress did exactly what she was supposed to do in a situation like that. If the perp continued the attack she would have been justified to use deadly force. However, the fact that he retreated she may have had an issue if she shot him. Especially in liberal Wisconsin. Bottom line....the waitress is one cool armed lady. As they say, “You go girl!”
Sadly we all have only a few seconds out of the blue, unprepared, to make important legal decisions. The TV talk show panels set up a discussion after days or weeks of research on laws and alternatives the person might have taken and all that.
That carjacked woman with her kids still in the car was able to shoot the face of the attacker after she grabbed her gun,2-3 days ago. Now people can analyze it all and wonder about alternatives. She had a few seconds and her children’s lives at stake. She didn’t ask the carjacker about his unhappy childhood or if he needed counseling.
It's a miracle that she played that as well as she did.
The perp could have easily rushed her when she relinquished her two handed grip, and started waving the gun around.
Under that sort of stress, it also wouldn't have been a surprise if she'd shot him as he retreated.