Origin
Red Collins is a real person. He was seen by off duty detective Matthew Solomon while committing robbery of a diner. Solomon didn’t know the gunman Red and Solomon was unarmed but Solomon chased after Red anyway and attacked him as Red got into a taxi. The two fought and Red put a bullet in Solomon’s chest. It did not kill him and so Solomon grabbed the revolver of the pistol so it could not fire again. The two battled until a bystander hit Red over the head with a bottle. When sentenced to thirty years Red said “I could have killed Solomon easily only I admired his nerve.”
“I could have killed Solomon easily only I admired his nerve.” – Red Collins