California statute
Cal. Penal Code § 198
Current through 2025–2026 Regular Session (leginfo weekly dump, 2026-07-12)
Part of Chapter 1: Homicide, California Penal Code.
Full text of Cal. Penal Code § 198
Statutory text current through the 2025–2026 Regular Session (leginfo weekly dump, 2026-07-12). This publication reproduces the official statutory text; it is not the official statutes of the State of California.
A bare fear of the commission of any of the offenses mentioned in subdivisions 2 and 3 of Section 197, to prevent which homicide may be lawfully committed, is not sufficient to justify it. But the circumstances must be sufficient to excite the fears of a reasonable person, and the party killing must have acted under the influence of such fears alone.
Official sources
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.