Man convicted of shooting Outlaws Motorcycle Club member outside Froggy's Saloon

An incident that may have started because of a T-shirt led to an Outlaws Motorcycle Club member being shot three times and the shooter facing up to life in prison.

Nikko Pires, 32, of Ormond Beach, was taken into custody and had his bail revoked on Thursday after a six-person jury found him guilty of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols will set a sentencing date.

Pires shot Joseph Moore three times shortly before 3:20 a.m. Jan. 9, 2020, outside of Froggy’s Saloon, 800 Main St.

Daytona Beach Police spotted his white Dodge four-door pickup driving away within minutes of the shooting, stopped him and ordered him out at gunpoint, according to police officers who testified during the trial.

As he exited the vehicle, officers saw that Pires had a knife in his boot and a pistol in his waistband, which turned out to be the 9mm pink and black Glock he used to shoot Moore, according to testimony. The gun was jammed.

Inside the truck, police found a shotgun up against the center console. They also found a 9mm Beretta pistol on the floorboard along with lottery tickets.

Pires had a valid concealed weapons permit when he was arrested.

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Pires wore a suit and a mohawk haircut during his trial. He also arrived about 45 minutes late on Thursday for court. Pires did not testify.

Moore, 48, was a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, but jurors were not told that. Earlier in the case, Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano granted a motion from Assistant State Attorney Mark Interlicchio who argued that Moore’s affiliation with the Outlaws should be excluded because it was irrelevant and it would be prejudicial against Moore.

The Department of Justice lists the Outlaws and other groups, like the Hells Angels, the Pagans and the Mongols, as criminal organizations.

During the trial at the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand, Moore took the stand and testified he had no beef with Pires before the shooting.

Moore testified he was walking his girlfriend to her car in Froggy’s parking lot when he heard tires screeching behind them. He described what he saw when he turned around.

“I seen a white four-door pickup truck with Nikko Pires in it with the driver’s side window all the way down and a 9mm pointed at my forehead,” Moore said.

Interlicchio asked him what he thought at the time.

“I’m dead. He’s going to kill me,” Moore said.

He said he shoved his girlfriend out of the way to protect her and turned to get away.

Moore said Pires shot him three times. He said he collapsed as one of his lungs filled with blood. He spent a week in the hospital and underwent one surgery.

'No, sir, I don't have a gun'

Under cross examination, Pires’ defense attorney, Steven Robinson, asked Moore if he escorted Pires out of Froggy’s or followed him out. Moore, who was not a bouncer at the bar, denied he escorted him out or followed him. Robinson asked Moore about having a gun at the time.

“Isn’t it true you followed him out there and showed him your gun? Is that correct?” Robinson said.

“No, sir, I don’t have a gun,” Moore said.

Moore also denied forcing Pires to leave Froggy’s.

“You don’t like Mr. Pires. Is that correct?” Robinson asked.

"After shooting me, no,” Moore replied.

"Before shooting you, you don’t like Mr. Pires. Is that correct?” Robinson said.

“I’ve had no problem with him,” Moore said.

“You don’t like Mr. Pires because you saw him wearing a T-shirt memorializing a dead man,” Robinson said.

“I don’t recall that,” Moore replied.

Both Robinson and Pires declined to say what was on the T-shirt when asked by The News-Journal during breaks.

'The defendant is upset. He's angry'

Robinson called a woman named Jamie Hodgson to the stand. Hodgson, who is currently jailed in Volusia County on an unrelated matter, contradicted Moore’s testimony.

Hodgson testified that she knows both men. She said she had asked Pires to give her a ride to Froggy’s on the night of the shooting and then invited him in to buy him a drink. She said they arrived about midnight or 1 a.m.

She said Pires had been in the bar about five minutes before Moore arrived. Moore saw Pires and started yelling at him to get out of the bar. She said Moore had kicked Pires out of the bar before.

Hodgson said Moore followed Pires out of the bar. Hodgson also testified that Moore pulled a gun out of his waistband and told Pires not to return.

Under cross examination by Interlicchio, Hodgson said Moore had the gun in his hand but did not point it at anyone.

She said she didn’t know if Pires saw the gun since he was in his pickup driving away.

In his closing arguments, Robinson pointed to Hodgson’s testimony contradicting Moore’s.

“Why couldn’t Mr. Moore say ‘Yes, I marched him out of that bar because I don’t like him,’” Robinson said. “'But I didn’t pull a gun on him.'”

During closing arguments, Interlicchio said that Pires and Moore got into an argument and Pires left the bar at either around midnight or 1 a.m. But he said Pires returned two to three hours later and shot Moore.

“The defendant is upset. He’s angry," Interlicchio said. "He goes home and he arms himself to the teeth. He comes back with the Glock, with the Beretta, with the shotgun, with that huge 'Rambo' knife in his boot at 3 a.m."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida man found guilty of shooting Outlaws Motorcycle Club member