Self-Defense: A personal assault which itself is not sufficient to cause a reasonable apprehension of death or great bodily injury, even if the assault constitutes a felony, is insufficient to justify the use of deadly force against the assailant. "(T)he felony contemplated by the (justifiable homicide) statute is one that is more dangerous than a personal assault." (People v. Jones (1961) 191 Cal.App.2nd 478, 481-482; and see P.C. §§ 197.1, 197.3, above.)
In defending oneself or another, deadly force may only be used in response to the illegal application of deadly force from the aggressor. Thus, "a misdemeanor assault must be suffered without the privilege of retaliating with deadly force." (People v. Jones, supra, at p. 482; People v. Clark (1982) 130 Cal.App.3rd 371, 380.)