Tell me, do you believe the mob acted in self-defense when they killed Joseph Smith?
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You shoot at a policeman and see what happens...
A nice red herring you have there.
The members of the mob weren't policemen or even jail guards; they were militiamen who had been ordered by the governor to disband and go home.
Instead of returning home, they volunteered to attack the jail and kill the Smiths. Some men in the mob blackened their faces to disguise their identities. None were acting in any official capacity.
As I pointed out in my previous post, the members of the mob were not fired upon, threatened, or otherwise incited by Joseph Smith or any of his companions. The mob murdered Joseph and Hyrum Smith (and severely wounded John Taylor) in cold blood, before either could stand trial.
Surely you are not making excuses for the actions of the mob, are you?