WORCESTER, MA — Worcester’s License Commission ordered Hurricane Betty’s to close at 8 p.m. following the Oct. 11 fatal shooting outside the Southbridge Street club, with the restriction remaining in place until at least a Nov. 5 violation hearing, according to reporting by the Telegram & Gazette and MassLive.
The unanimous decision at the Oct. 22 status hearing cuts six hours from the adult entertainment club’s usual licensed operating hours, which extend to 2 a.m. MassLive reported that the restriction applies to its liquor and entertainment operations.
The action is an earlier closing requirement, not a permanent closure or license revocation. The Nov. 5 hearing does not guarantee a return to normal hours.
The decision follows a shooting at 350 Southbridge St. that left one man dead and another hospitalized. According to the police account described in the supplied reporting, officers responded to gunshot-detection alerts at approximately 2:06 a.m. on Oct. 11 and found two men with gunshot wounds. Both were taken to hospitals in critical condition, and one later died.
At the licensing hearing, police described what they said were failures to follow security requirements imposed after a fatal shooting associated with the club in 2022.
According to MassLive and the Telegram, Sgt. Thomas Needham said surveillance showed patrons entering without passing through metal detectors or presenting identification. He also said people entered after the club’s 1:45 a.m. clearance time. MassLive reported his allegation that people arriving after that time were served drinks.
Police also told commissioners that surveillance appeared to show unauthorized bottle service and patrons taking alcoholic drinks outside.
Needham said a confrontation preceded the shooting and that business personnel attempted to intervene without calling police, according to the hearing coverage. The Telegram reported that he placed the business’s call to dispatch at 2:09 a.m., after the approximately 2:06 a.m. gunshot-detection alerts.
Capt. Jim Johnson urged commissioners to reduce the club’s hours, citing what he described as failures to comply with earlier security conditions.
Those statements are police allegations presented at the status hearing. They should not be treated as final findings from the upcoming violation hearing or as proof that the business caused the shooting.
Attorney Sean Smith, representing Hurricane Betty’s, said the business had cooperated with investigators, according to MassLive. He also said a grand jury investigation remained underway. That investigative status was attributed to Smith and was not independently confirmed with prosecutors for this report.
The hearing coverage summarized in the reporting file did not include a detailed response from the business to each alleged licensing violation.
Family members also addressed commissioners. The Telegram reported that the deceased man’s girlfriend criticized the club for not contacting the family after the shooting and said she was raising the couple’s son.
MassLive reported that Tasia Sims, speaking on behalf of the family, urged commissioners to consider the club’s history and called for answers and accountability.
A separate criminal case concerns an alleged assault before the gunfire. According to the Boston Globe’s Oct. 16 report, José I. Hiciano, 23, of Southbridge, was arraigned Oct. 15 in Worcester District Court on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
The charge described in that report concerned an alleged attack before the fatal shooting. It did not establish that Hiciano fired the shots. His attorney, Blake J. Rubin, challenged the prosecution’s evidence connecting him to the shooting. A charge is not a finding of guilt.
The next reported licensing proceeding is the Nov. 5 violation hearing. The club’s longer-term operating conditions remain unresolved.
🔎 W.U.W. Verification Box
Project / Topic: Hurricane Betty’s operating restrictions following the Oct. 11 shooting.
Current Status: An 8 p.m. closing restriction was reported following the Oct. 22 License Commission hearing; further proceedings are pending.
Key Dates or Decisions: Oct. 11, 2026: shooting. Oct. 22, 2026: reported unanimous vote to reduce operating hours. Nov. 5, 2026: reported violation hearing.
Estimated Cost: Not applicable.
Timeline: The restriction reportedly remains in place until at least the Nov. 5 hearing.
Immediate Next Steps: Formal consideration of the alleged licensing violations.
Primary Sources: The commission’s written order, hearing recording, police records and court filings were not independently reviewed for this draft. Hearing details rely on Telegram & Gazette and MassLive reporting summarized in the supplied file; criminal-case details are attributed to the Boston Globe.
What We Do Not Yet Know: The written order’s precise terms and effective date; the surviving victim’s current condition; whether additional charges have been filed; the business’s detailed response to the alleged violations; and the outcome of the next licensing hearing.
This coverage is supported by our sponsors, Worcester EVs and Millstone Law.
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