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(The Oregonian/OregonLive file photo)

A man accidentally shot and killed his friend during a holiday celebration Thursday night in Garden Home, deputies said.

The man was reloading his AR-15 rifle when "the weapon discharged" and hit the 20-year-old victim, who was pronounced dead upon his arrival at OHSU Hospital, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The shooter, a 28-year-old resident of the apartment, had passed around the rifle, then unloaded, to four guests during a Chinese New Year celebration.

No one has been arrested and no charges have been filed, deputies said. Neither party has been publicly identified.

Deputies said it doesn't look like alcohol or drugs factored into the fatal shooting. They responded to an apartment complex in the 7500 block of Southwest Aloma Way around 11 p.m.

Someone called 911 immediately after the shooting, deputies said, and the shooter started to aid the victim.

Detectives continue to investigate the shooting. Deputies said they're trying to contact the victim's parents, who live in another country.

The sheriff's office said it "strongly urges people to handle guns in a safe manner and to always treat all firearms as if they are loaded at all times."

The gun is a .223 caliber Ar-15, deputies said.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015