A 30-year-old man killed himself last night with a pistol that he presumed was unloaded, the Indiana County coroner said today.

Brian Marshall Morgan put a .22-caliber handgun to his head and the gun discharged, Coroner Michael A. Baker said. He classified Mr. Morgan's death as an accident.

A friend of Mr. Morgan's was with him when the shooting occurred. This witness, who was not identified by investigators, said Mr. Morgan thought the handgun was empty.

Mr. Baker said he found no evidence of a struggle at the shooting scene, a farm outside Grant, Indiana County. But the coroner said alcohol probably was a factor. Whiskey and beer cans were found at the site, he said.

Funeral arrangements were pending for Mr. Morgan, who was from Rochester Mills, Indiana County.