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A man was killed and at least 17 other people were injured in a shooting Saturday night at a party thrown by multiple motorcycle clubs in Cleveland, authorities said.

Cleveland police said Sunday that they responded to a call just before midnight Saturday on the city's east side, where they found a 48-year-old man dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Many other victims had left the scene by the time police arrived and began showing up at hospitals across the city overnight, said Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia, a police spokeswoman.

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"At this time, it is believed that a total of 18 people were shot," Ciaccia said Sunday afternoon. Some of the injuries were minor, but others required surgery, she said.

NBC affiliate WKYC of Cleveland reported that five of the wounded were in serious or critical condition.

The shooting happened after a fight broke out between two of the motorcycle clubs attending the party, police said. Shots were fired as participants were being ejected, they said.

It wasn't immediately clear how many shots were fired or why the fight broke out. Ciaccia said multiple shooters were involved, but she didn't specify how many people opened fire or whether any arrests had been made.