Hurricane Betty’s Shooting, Worcester License Commission Revokes Liquor and Entertainment Licenses After Fatal October 11 Gunfire

The Worcester License Commission has revoked the liquor and entertainment licenses of Hurricane Betty’s, the strip club at 350 Southbridge Street, after a shooting on October 11, 2026 that left one man dead and another injured. The commission voted 3–0 on Thursday, November 5, following a formal violation hearing.

The revocation targets the business’s licenses. It does not decide who fired the fatal shots. A man named in court reporting, 23-year-old José I. Hiciano of Southbridge, is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. As of November 6, 2026, the reports reviewed do not show a murder charge against him, and they do not publicly establish who fired the fatal shots.

No civil lawsuit or settlement over the shooting has been publicly verified.

Hurricane Betty’s Shooting: Quick Facts

Detail	Information
Business	Hurricane Betty’s, operated by JOLO, Inc.
Address	350 Southbridge Street, Worcester, Massachusetts
Shooting date	Sunday, October 11, 2026, shortly after 2 a.m.
Victims	Two men shot; one died, one survived
Deceased man	Steven Joseph (identified by family at the hearing)
Criminal defendant	José I. Hiciano, 23, of Southbridge
Reported charge	Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon
Reported bail	$100,000
First restriction	8 p.m. closing time, voted October 21, 2026
Final decision	Alcohol and entertainment licenses revoked, November 5, 2026
Commission vote	3–0 (Chair Anthony J. Vigliotti)
Effective date	Immediately, according to the chair
Appeal body	Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC)
Civil lawsuit	None publicly verified
Settlement or claim form	None

What Happened Outside Hurricane Betty’s on October 11, 2026?

Worcester police responded at about 2:06 a.m. to two ShotSpotter activations near the club. Officers found a man in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds. He later died at a UMass Memorial hospital. His family identified him at the License Commission hearing as Steven Joseph.

A second man was also shot. He survived with serious injuries and has since been released, according to local reporting.

Surveillance video from outside the club became central to the investigation. Police said the club’s only call to dispatch came at 2:09 a.m., reporting gunshots and a person down. Investigators said a fight started inside and moved outside, and that staff did not promptly notify police.

The Worcester Police Detective Bureau’s investigation of the shooting remains active.

What Criminal Charge Does José I. Hiciano Face in the Hurricane Betty’s Case?

Prosecutors allege that exterior surveillance video shows Hiciano, 23, repeatedly striking Steven Joseph on the head with an object resembling a handgun on a public sidewalk before the fatal gunfire. He was arrested days later and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He was ordered held on $100,000 bail.

Is José Hiciano charged with murder in the Hurricane Betty’s shooting?

Not in the reporting reviewed. The charge is assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, an offense defined in Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 15A. Murder is addressed separately in Chapter 265, Section 1. Striking someone before a shooting does not, on its own, establish who fired the shots.

Hiciano is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Local reporting indicates a pretrial hearing is set for November 13, 2026.

Why Did the Worcester License Commission First Close Hurricane Betty’s at 8 p.m.?

At a status hearing on October 21, the commission voted unanimously to cut the club’s closing time from 2 a.m. to 8 p.m. while the full violation case went forward. Chair Vigliotti said at that hearing that the club’s history made the allegations especially serious.

That order was temporary. It stayed in place until the formal hearing on November 5.

Which Violations Did Worcester Police Cite Against Hurricane Betty’s?

Worcester Police Sgt. Thomas Needham of the Alcohol Enforcement Unit presented the case on November 5, relying largely on surveillance footage from the night of the shooting. The notice of hearing listed these violations:

• Two counts of failing to observe clearance and closing times. Patrons were still entering and being served after the 1:45 a.m. clearance time.
• Failure to notify police and to assist injured people during a disturbance or breach of the peace.
• The manager failing to take responsibility for all violations or infractions of law on the premises.
• Making renovations or alterations without the commission’s prior approval.
• Purchasing alcohol in containers smaller than one-fifth of a gallon (.75 liter) and selling alcohol to be taken off the premises.

Police also described other conduct on the footage:

• People entering without passing through a metal detector or showing identification.
• A customer carrying a 750-milliliter bottle of Don Julio tequila, though Hurricane Betty’s holds no bottle-service approval.
• An officer’s count of 62 patrons leaving after the incident, not including staff, against a reported occupancy limit of 49.

Attorney Sean Smith, representing the club, acknowledged the tragedy and did not dispute many of the violations. Family members of the man killed urged the commission to revoke the licenses. The commission’s chair described the club’s operations as the “Wild West going wild.”

Related article: University of Delaware Shooting, Seven Injured on East Main Street in Newark, 16-Year-Old Faces Firearm Charges

Which Worcester License Commission Rules Apply to Hurricane Betty’s?

Worcester’s License Commission publishes its own rules for establishments that serve alcohol to be consumed on the premises. Several rules map onto the conduct police described:

• Rule #1 (hours): Sets closing and clearance requirements. The commission has treated “hours violations” under this rule in earlier cases.
• Rule #14 (manager responsibility): Makes managers responsible for violations on the premises, whether or not the manager is present. Sgt. Needham raised this same rule against Hurricane Betty’s in 2022.
• Rule #29 (disturbances): Requires a licensee to notify police when a disturbance or breach of the peace on the premises results in physical injury, and to assist.
• Rule #37 (bottle service): Allows supervised bottle service only with commission approval. The commission rewrote this rule on March 14, 2024, to permit approved bottle service. Before that, bottle service was prohibited.
• Rule #27 (occupancy): Requires licensed premises to stay within the number of people allowed by their building or occupancy permit.

The reporting reviewed does not give the rule numbers for the renovation and small-container charges, so this article does not assign them.

What Does Massachusetts Law Say About Local Liquor License Revocation?

Local licensing boards in Massachusetts act under Chapter 138 of the General Laws, the state’s alcoholic beverages law.

• M.G.L. c. 138, § 64: Authorizes the local licensing authority to suspend or revoke a license after a hearing for violations of the licensing laws and the authority’s rules.
• M.G.L. c. 138, § 67: Lets a licensee appeal a local suspension or revocation to the ABCC. The appeal window is short, measured in days after notice of the decision, so the club has little time to act.
• M.G.L. c. 138, § 69: Bars selling or delivering alcohol to an intoxicated person. Worcester’s Rule #6 repeats this prohibition.
• 204 CMR 2.05: The ABCC’s regulation barring licensees from allowing disorder, disturbance or illegality on licensed premises.

Local boards can enforce these rules without any criminal conviction. A liquor license is a privilege tied to how a business is run, so a licensing finding and a criminal verdict are separate questions with separate standards.

Can Hurricane Betty’s Appeal the Revocation to the Massachusetts ABCC?

Yes. Chair Vigliotti said the business can appeal to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. Under M.G.L. c. 138, § 67, the appeal goes to the ABCC after the local decision.

The revocation was described as effective immediately, so the club should not assume it can serve alcohol while an appeal is pending. The ABCC can uphold, modify or reverse the local decision. As of November 6, 2026, no appeal has been publicly reported.

What Is Hurricane Betty’s Earlier History of Shootings and License Actions?

The October 2026 shooting is the club’s latest violent incident.

• March 2022: A shooting on the club’s patio killed 27-year-old Deondre Matthews and seriously injured a second man. The commission imposed a 10-day suspension, with five days to be served, and recommended a metal detector, upgraded cameras placed at entrances and exits, closing off the rear patio, a paid police detail seven nights a week from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., and an ID scanner. The commission also warned that another violation within a year would add five more days of suspension.
• 2023: A shooting in the club’s parking lot caused non-life-threatening injuries.
• September 5, 2024: The commission held a violation hearing on Hurricane Betty’s following compliance checks in February and June 2024, including questions about the ID-scanning device the club was required to use.

A prior shooting does not prove the club caused the 2026 death. It is relevant background for a licensing board deciding how seriously to treat new violations, and it may matter if a civil case ever reaches the question of foreseeability.

Could the Family of Steven Joseph Sue Hurricane Betty’s or JOLO, Inc.?

No civil suit has been reported. The criminal and licensing cases do not prevent one.

What does Massachusetts law say about wrongful death under M.G.L. c. 229, § 2?

M.G.L. c. 229, § 2 allows a wrongful-death action when a person’s death results from negligence, a wrongful act or another legally actionable cause. The claim is brought by the executor or administrator of the estate for the benefit of eligible family members. Depending on the facts, recoverable damages can include the fair monetary value of the person’s loss to those family members, funeral and burial expenses, and, where the statute’s conduct standard is met, punitive damages. A wrongful-death action generally must be filed within three years of the date of death.

What would a negligent-security claim against Hurricane Betty’s need to prove?

A claim against the business would need evidence on several points:

1. The business owed a duty of reasonable care to patrons.
2. The risk of violence was reasonably foreseeable.
3. The security measures were unreasonable, or required measures were not followed.
4. That failure was a legal cause of the death.

The License Commission’s findings could be offered as evidence, but they do not establish civil liability by themselves.

Does M.G.L. c. 231, § 85T apply to a bar or club?

Section 85T concerns liability when a licensee serves alcohol to a person who is already intoxicated and that person then causes harm. It would matter only if evidence showed the person who fired the shots was served while intoxicated. No such evidence has been reported.

Is There a Hurricane Betty’s Settlement or Claim Form?

No. There is no class action, no settlement fund, no administrator and no claim deadline tied to this shooting. Losing a license does not create a compensation fund for victims.

Four tracks should be kept separate:

• Criminal case: The prosecution of José I. Hiciano.
• Licensing case: Worcester’s revocation of the JOLO, Inc. licenses.
• Appeal: Any ABCC appeal by the business.
• Possible civil case: A wrongful-death or negligent-security claim, if the family brings one.

For another example of how a fatal incident at an entertainment venue can lead to civil litigation, see Razzle’s Wrongful Death Lawsuit Settled, Jared Ratisher Case, Underage Drinking Allegations and Nightclub Closure and Family Sues Twin Peaks and Jeremiah Matkins Over Fatal 2024 Huntsville Shooting of Ray’Shun Markelle Bates.

What Happens Next in the Hurricane Betty’s Case?

1. ABCC appeal: Whether JOLO, Inc. files, and whether the ABCC upholds the revocation.
2. Criminal case: José Hiciano’s next hearing, reported for November 13, 2026.
3. Shooter identification: Whether police publicly establish who fired the fatal shots.
4. Civil claims: Whether the family of Steven Joseph files a wrongful-death or negligent-security suit.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Hurricane Betty’s Shooting

When did the Hurricane Betty’s shooting happen?

Early on Sunday, October 11, 2026, outside Hurricane Betty’s at 350 Southbridge Street in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Who died in the Hurricane Betty’s shooting?

Steven Joseph, identified by family members at the November 5 License Commission hearing.

Who is charged in the Hurricane Betty’s shooting?

José I. Hiciano, 23, of Southbridge, is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He is presumed innocent.

Why did Worcester revoke the Hurricane Betty’s licenses?

The commission cited violations involving closing and clearance times, failure to notify police and assist injured people, manager responsibility, unapproved renovations, and small-container and off-premises alcohol sales.

Did the Worcester License Commission vote to revoke both licenses?

Yes. On November 5, 2026, it voted 3–0 to revoke the alcohol and entertainment licenses.

Can Hurricane Betty’s appeal to the Massachusetts ABCC?

Yes. The chair said the business can appeal to the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

Was there an earlier shooting at Hurricane Betty’s?

Yes. In March 2022, Deondre Matthews, 27, was killed on the club’s patio. A 2023 parking-lot shooting caused non-life-threatening injuries.

Can the family sue Hurricane Betty’s?

Possibly under M.G.L. c. 229, § 2, but they would need to prove negligence, foreseeability and causation. The license revocation alone does not prove civil liability.

Is there a Hurricane Betty’s settlement?

No settlement, class action or claim form has been announced.

Sources

• City of Worcester License Commission minutes (March 30, 2022 and September 5, 2024) and published on-premises rules and bottle-service amendment (adopted March 14, 2024): worcesterma.gov
• Local news reporting on the October 21 and November 5, 2026 License Commission hearings (Telegram & Gazette, MassLive)
• Massachusetts General Laws: Chapter 138, Sections 64, 67 and 69; Chapter 229, Section 2; Chapter 231, Section 85T; Chapter 265, Sections 1 and 15A: malegislature.gov
• Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission regulations, 204 CMR 2.05: mass.gov

AllAboutLawyer.com is a legal information publisher, not a law firm. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the City of Worcester License Commission minutes and published rules and local news reporting of the October 21 and November 5, 2026 hearings, as of November 6, 2026. Last Updated: November 6, 2026.