FALL RIVER — Prosecutors allege the 25-year-old man arraigned for murder Monday in the death of an Oak Bluffs resident used his legal revolver to fire the fatal shot.
The license to carry permit previously held by Joseph Noe, whose last known address is in Taunton, was revoked in light of his arrest for allegedly killing Eric Voshell, 39, of Oak Bluffs, during a disagreement between two competing motorcycle clubs in Fall River, Assistant District Attorney Michael Cahillane said at Noe’s arraignment in Fall River District Court.
Not guilty pleas were entered on Noe’s behalf on one count of murder, two counts of assault and battery with a firearm and one count of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building. Noe was ordered held without bail before trial.
Several police officers stood watch inside the courtroom and outside Fall River Justice Center as people associated with Noe and Voshell watched the hearing, which ended without any problems.
Cahillane identified Noe as a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. He alleged Noe emptied his five-shot revolver during a “disagreement” among Outlaws and members of the competing Sidewinders Motorcycle Club in the parking lot beside JC’s Cafe Friday night.
On surveillance footage captured at the restaurant, Noe was seen withdrawing his firearm and pointing it toward a crowd of people in the parking lot, “in essence, scaring them off at that time,” said Cahillane.
Then, Cahillane alleged Noe ran toward Bedford Street and fired several shots back into the crowd, hitting three people including Voshell, who suffered a mortal gunshot wound to his head.
After pistol-whipping someone, Noe lost control of his gun, according to the prosecutor. Cahillane said the firearm “was recovered on the ground, registered to this defendant.”
The black revolver was found between a vehicle parked on Bedford Street and the sidewalk, according to a police report prepared by Detective Luis Vertentes on file at District Court. Noe fled in a vehicle with four other people, according to the report.
Video shot by a witness shows part of the altercation leading up to shots being fired outside of JC’s Cafe and Resturant in Fall River. pic.twitter.com/mSTxJHlaw0
— Sam Read (@NBC10_Sam)
Noe and his fiance were present at JC’s Cafe when Fall River Police responded to a disturbance there a few weeks ago, on Aug. 30. Investigators came to believe that Noe was looking to “make a name for himself.”
“The FRPD was made aware that Joseph Noe was in a motorcycle gang and that he was going to try and start a fight there. It is believed that this was an attempt for Joseph Noe to make a name for himself and for people to fear him,” wrote Vertentes.
Noe was at the Outlaws’ Fall River club house before going to JC’s Cafe with several other members on Friday, according to the report.
Two other gunshot victims, a 37-year-old Fall River man and a 23-year-old Bridgewater man, were taken to area hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The DA’s office said Sunday both men were in stable condition.
According to The Vineyard Gazette, Voshell, a former volunteer firefighter in Oak Bluffs, was seriously injured in a 2018 motorcycle crash, prompting a community fundraiser for support.
After the hearing, District Attorney Thomas Quinn III condemned the violence and emphasized the “critical importance” of surveillance cameras in helping law enforcement solve crimes.
“This case is another example of senseless violence that occurs in our communities that has resulted in the death of a young man and injury to two other people,” said Quinn.
A warrant was issued for Noe’s arrest Saturday, according to Quinn’s office. Noe turned himself in at the Fall River Police Department Monday morning. He is due back in court Oct. 10.
