San Jose: Police say burglary suspect was fatally shot by citizen trying to detain him

[AtheistCrusader]

8. Hypothetical.

1. You investigate to get a description of the thief, to pass on to the police as a witness.
2. Thief notices you, and responds aggressively, chasing you.
3. You are armed, and the situation escalates.

Did 'you' do anything wrong here?

I personally would not attempt to apprehend anyone, law enforcement is not my function. But I would most certainly investigate any such activity, and try to get a description. If I do so, am I just stuck with a beating or worse, if the thief attacks me, and I happen to be armed? Should I not protect myself?

In fact, going beyond a description, I could see the property owner reasonably saying something like 'hey man, leave my shit alone, I just called the cops'. If this results in a physical attack, again, if the property owner is armed and responds, has he or she done anything morally wrong?

This is why I said 'insufficient data' above. What happened here could have been vigilantism, or something else.