A Fillmore man was fatally shot outside a party early Sunday in an apparent gang-related incident, authorities said.

Albert Avalos, 23, was shot about 1:30 a.m. in the 800 block of Blaine Avenue in Fillmore, police reported. As people left a party on the block, someone drove by and fired several shots, hitting Avalos, police said.

Avalos died at 2:40 a.m. at Santa Paula Hospital from a gunshot wound to the chest, said Craig Stevens, senior deputy medical examiner.

The Sheriff's Department is investigating the homicide but had no suspects as of Sunday, said Sgt. Don Aguilar.

About a dozen men stood outside Avalos' apartment on nearby Lemon Way later Sunday morning but declined to comment. Authorities suspect the homicide was gang-related because it was a drive-by shooting, Aguilar said. It's unclear, however, if Avalos was a party guest or belonged to a gang.

Blaine Avenue, a mix of run-down and newer homes, was quiet Sunday morning after being cordoned off with police tape until 9:30 a.m. Four markings showed where bullets had struck pavement, including a shell embedded in the ground.

One neighbor said he was awakened by six loud shots and ran outside to see about 15 people crowded around Avalos' body in the street.

"I heard people yelling, 'Where's the ambulance? Where's the ambulance? ' " said the man, who declined to give his name out of fear. " 'He's dying. He's dying.' "

American Medical Response was called at 1:35 a.m. and arrived at the scene at 1:40 a.m., said Davina Lightner, a dispatcher with the ambulance company. The Sheriff's Department did not clear the crime scene for the medical crew to enter until 1:54 a.m., Lightner said.

Aguilar said he could not comment on the delay because he was not at the scene. But typically with allegations of shots fired at large parties, "when chaos strikes, it's not that simple," Aguilar said. "You have to wait until the scene is safe."

The sound of gunshots is becoming common in the area, the neighbor said.

"It's getting to the point where you can't walk the street at night," he said. "They see something they don't like, they shoot at you."

Anyone with information on the shooting should call the Sheriff's Department at 654-9511 or Crime Stoppers, which takes anonymous calls, at 385-TALK.