Yes! I've seen almost the exact same thing, just without any airgun involvment.
I once saw a crow sitting on a branch alone in a tree. Then saw it again in the exact same place later in the day with some pals in the tree. Then again alone in the exact same place that night. Come the next day, there it was, so I watched it with some binocs and realized it was dead but somehow stuck perfectly upright! When I came back to point it out to someone that evening it was gone. He almost didn't believe me, but then he spotted some black feathers and a leg beneath the tree and we came to the conclusion that it had finally fallen out of the tree and become food for one the cats roaming the neighborhood.
Oh, and welcome to the forum!