I went to a shooting were a suspect was shot in the head, and was missing about a piece of skull and brain the size of a large orange. He ran about a mile before he knew he was dead. When I went to the autopsy, the pathologist assured me he died instantly... Another homicide I responded to, the victim did not die for 3 days, even though a third of his brain was gone from a contact wound from a 357 magnum...