Killed by flying nails? (5)
I believe the answer is:
slain
'killed' is the definition.
(slaying is a kind of killing)
'flying nails?' is the wordplay.
'flying' indicates an anagram (letters fly around into new positions).
'nails' anagrammed gives 'SLAIN'.
'by' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for slain that I've seen before include "Slaughtered" , "Killed, murdered" , "Violently killed" , "Put to the sword" .)