[FireBeyond]

Not a physician, medical examiner, or the like. But a paramedic who has attended more than one fatality shooting. My educated wild ass guess is that hitting the neck with a high-velocity rifle would cause the shockwaves of the impact to be very, very close to the brainstem and to have a significant effect on it.

[nicce]

I was trying to frame it differently - like - it must have hit some harder tissue before it can cause the shockwaves, right?

[tomrod]

The air itself would be concussive.

But regardless, the specific mechanism of his death is clear. He died by gunshot.