Police say a man was fatally shot near a nightclub early this morning in Essex County.

The victim has been identified as 28-year-old Michael Willliams, a Newark resident.

The prosecutor's office says the shooting occurred at 212 Belleville Ave., but neighbors believe it happened after Williams left the Wet Bar Gentlemen's Club, which is located at 213 Belleville Ave. in Belleville.

"Around 1:45 a.m., I was sleeping and I heard four shots, four big bangs and the house shook because two of the shots hit the house," says Robert Lopez, of Belleville.

He says a neighbor told him three men shot at another man as he was leaving the bar. The victim apparently took a bullet, walked a few driveways down the street and then collapsed and died.

Only the shooting death has been confirmed by the Essex County Prosecutors Office.