Wrong . In the State of South Carolina , a person is justified in using deadly force in self defense when 1 . The defendant was without fault in the use of deadly force basically , you can ' t be the aggressor and then claim self defense 2 . The defendant actually believed he was in imminent danger of losing his life or sustaining seriously bodily injury , or he actually was in such imminent danger 3 . If the defense is based upon the defendants belief of imminent danger , a reasonable , prudent man of ordinary dimness and courage would have entertained the same beliefAND 4 . The defendant had no other probable means of avoiding the danger of losing his life or sustaining serious bodily injury than to act as he did this particular instance . nbspSource State v DickeynbspHot take If you kill someone on the basic premise that you were merely physically threatened , you will go to jail . Also , while homosexuals being assaulted is a sad affair , I ' ll reiterate when I say that assault is not grounds for using deadly force to defend oneself .