Absolutely true., You really don't want to go down that road. The law frowns on use of force in self defense. No so much on paper, but strongly so in practice. Process is the punishment.
Everybody who is prepared to use deadly force should think ahead of time of when he would, and wouldn't.
I would never use deadly force to assist a stranger in need. They didn't plan self defense, and that makes me sad, but the law will punish me if I help.
I would use deadly force in defense of myself, my family, and friends. They look out for me, too. The government does not look out for me.
I am not saying that calculus is correct for everybody, it is just what I have, hard-baked into my brain, based on my attitude. Certainly do appreciate others willing to take more risk with the law in defense of others. Better people than I am.
I was around gun politics too long and saw how people’s lives were destroyed in even plainly righteous self-defense scenarios. It makes you think real hard about what you’re willing and not willing to do. It also makes you realize that location, location, location isn’t only important in real estate. We wouldn’t even be having this conversation if this incident had occurred in say South Dakota or Oklahoma or Texas or Alabama. No prosecutor would have gone forward with the case. As you say, the punishment is the process.