Gangster. Reid was born in Kansas City and got his criminal start in that city's branch of the St. Louis based "Egan's Rats." Early on he formed a close friendship with fellow World War I vets such as Fred "Killer" Burke, Gus Winkler, and Bob Carey. Moving on to New York City after a 1919 Detroit murder indictment, Reid became embroiled in a love triangle by stealing away the girlfriend of notorious con man Dapper Don Collins. The latter shot Reid four times in the head on May 15, 1921 in the girlfriend's Bronx home. Reid incredibly survived the wounds, but lost one of his eyes as a result. Returning to Detroit, he opened a saloon at Third and Peterboro streets and began distributing liquor for the Purple Gang. His fellow Egan's Rats joined him, and they became embroiled in a very public shooting war with Italian gangster Mike DiPisa in the summer of 1926. Reid and his group fought DiPisa into submission, but the latter may have had the last laugh when Johnny Reid was shotgunned to death in the rear of his apartment at 3025 E. Grand Blvd on Christmas night, 1926.
Gangster. Reid was born in Kansas City and got his criminal start in that city's branch of the St. Louis based "Egan's Rats." Early on he formed a close friendship with fellow World War I vets such as Fred "Killer" Burke, Gus Winkler, and Bob Carey. Moving on to New York City after a 1919 Detroit murder indictment, Reid became embroiled in a love triangle by stealing away the girlfriend of notorious con man Dapper Don Collins. The latter shot Reid four times in the head on May 15, 1921 in the girlfriend's Bronx home. Reid incredibly survived the wounds, but lost one of his eyes as a result. Returning to Detroit, he opened a saloon at Third and Peterboro streets and began distributing liquor for the Purple Gang. His fellow Egan's Rats joined him, and they became embroiled in a very public shooting war with Italian gangster Mike DiPisa in the summer of 1926. Reid and his group fought DiPisa into submission, but the latter may have had the last laugh when Johnny Reid was shotgunned to death in the rear of his apartment at 3025 E. Grand Blvd on Christmas night, 1926.
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