MANCHESTER - A 19-year-old man died Sunday night after accidentally shooting himself in the head, police said.

Ismael ("Izzy") Chavira, last known address of 8 Iroquois Road, Nashua, died just after midnight Sunday in a 642 Union St. apartment.

Lt. Maureen Tessier said a small group of friends was in the apartment rented to Carlos Petreault when the shooting occurred. Detectives determined Chavira had the gun most of the night.

"He (Chavira) was in possession of the firearm and was fooling around with it putting it to his head and it discharged," Tessier said.

Investigators, she said, determined Chavira's death was accidental.

However, police did not recover the gun, which is still missing. Detectives are investigating what happened to it.

"We're trying to understand what happened afterwards and why they did what they did," Tessier said.

She said the public should not be alarmed because investigators are certain the shooting was accidental. "But perhaps the individuals (at the apartment) made some poor choices subsequent to the shooting," she said.