An Evanston man died after he accidentally shot himself with his shotgun while "showing it off" to friends, authorities said.



Police found Eric Zyzanski, 31, after being called to his apartment in the 800 block of Howard Street around 9:45 p.m. Sunday, police said. He had a gunshot wound to the head and a shotgun was found next to him, police said.



Zyzanski had been with several friends when he got the gun and began showing it off, according to a statement from police. His friends told him to put it away but he removed two to three rounds, held the gun to his cheek and told friends it was empty, police said.



Then he pulled the trigger, according to the statement. One of the friends ran to a neighbor's home to call police.



Evanston police Cmdr. Diane Davis said Zyzanski owned the gun and no foul play was suspected.



Detectives interviewed the friends in the apartment and all of them gave consistent accounts of what happened, according to the police statement.



Zyzanski was pronounced dead at 11:35 p.m. at Evanston Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

