When he was shot, did Martin Luther King Jr. die immediately?

Martin Luther King Jr. was not immediately killed when he was shot on the evening of April 4th, 1968, as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, notes About.com. The civil rights leader was transported to St. Joseph's hospital where he died close to an hour later.

The shot came from a ramshackle boarding house across the street from the Lorraine Motel and was fired from a .30 caliber rifle at approximately 6.01 p.m. The bullet ripped through King's right jaw, neck and spinal cord, finally lodging in his shoulder blade and causing devastating injuries. Despite emergency surgery, King succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead at 7.05 p.m.