So in a way he was defending himself too, especially after getting punched in the head by the victim. As I said, this isn't such a cut-and-dry case. The key is the confrontation shouldn't have happened in the first place.
Then, in the next sentence:
I'm not blaming the victim, ...
Wow... just wow. If you try and defend yourself, that means the guy with the gun was also defending himself. That has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever read.
“Well... she WAS wearing a really short skirt...”.