Salvius comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 17, chapter 86

[Salvius]

I think so (it’s been quite a few years since my brief foray into law school). Let me do some quick Googling...

Yep, there it is: Looks like it may vary in different jurisdictions, but

a defendant’s right of self-defense “transfers” (just as intent to kill does) from the intended to the actual victim...If the defendant, acting justifiably in self-defense against an aggressor, fires a weapon “wildly or carelessly,” thereby jeopardizing the safety of known bystanders, some courts hold the defendant guilty of manslaughter (or of reckless endangerment if no bystander is killed), but not of intentional homicide.