Alfred Reddish, 53, was a British army veteran of World War I. He came to Canada with his wife and daughter in 1923 and settled in Toronto. At the time of his death his daughter was married and living in London, Ontario. A cab owner-driver for 20 years, Mr. Reddish had been vice-president of the Independent Cab Owners' Association and served on the police department's Taxicab Advisory Committee. He was twice cited by the police department for "courageous citizenship". In 1930 he captured a hit-and-run driver after a five-mile chase through Toronto and in 1945 he refused to surrender his car to a gunman who held him up. For this act of bravery he was presented with an inscribed silver tea tray by the Toronto Board of Police Commissioners. At the time of Mr. Reddish's death his fellow owner-drivers were planning to present him with a silver tea service to match the tray. In the late evening of Saturday, November 30, 1946, Mr. Reddish picked up a fare and was driving him down Emerson Avenue when he was held up. Police surmised that Mr. Reddish refused to turn over the $30 he had on him. The robber fired two shots, one hitting Mr. Reddish in the right cheek and lodging in his brain. Mr. Reddish was found slumped over the steering wheel in front of 94 Emerson with the cab engine still running. When the cab's left rear door apparently jammed the killer smashed out the window. He then jumped onto the running board of a car that was just pulling away from 111 Emerson and forced the two occupants to flee. While they ran to a nearby house to phone the police the killer drove the stolen car to the end of Emerson Avenue and then returned, stopping briefly to open the cab door and look inside. He then drove off and the car was found abandoned a short distance away. Witnesses described the killer as being about 35 years old and five feet ten inches tall with a long pale face and prominent cheek bones. He was wearing a dark fedora and a dark winter overcoat. The murder weapon was a long-barreled .38 revolver.

Alfred Reddish. (Source: Toronto Globe & Mail, December 2, 1946, p. 1.) Since there was only 50 cents on the meter, police surmised that Mr. Reddish may have picked up his murderer somewhere near Emerson Avenue. The police commission offered a reward of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the killer. This was the largest reward offered in the history of the Toronto police department up to that time.