AUBURN — No charges were pending but an investigation continued Thursday into the death of an Auburn man who was killed when a shotgun being handled in an apartment went off, authorities said.

Maine Public Safety Department spokesman Stephen McCausland said the blast struck Jesse Greenleaf, one of five people in the apartment, in the face, killing him instantly. Greenleaf was said to be in his early 20s.

McCausland said state and local police investigators were dispatched to the Parker Street scene after the shooting, which happened shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday.

McCausland said no decision on how the case would be treated was likely before Friday.