Russ Moses spent his young adult years putting on different uniforms to serve people. He did a stint in the U.S. Coast Guard, worked for the Atlanta Department of Corrections starting in June 2024, and joined the Atlanta Police Department academy back in March. On Tuesday morning, the 24-year-old was riding his motorcycle to police training like he did every other day. He never made it to class.
The crash happened right around 7:20 a.m. at the busy intersection of Moreland Avenue and McDonough Boulevard in southeast Atlanta. Moses was riding along his regular route when his motorcycle collided with a Nissan Kicks SUV. First responders rushed him to Grady Memorial Hospital, but doctors could not save him.
Moses was currently in his 16th week of academy training with Class 302. He was just a few months away from graduating and taking his official oath of office around the holidays. Department leadership praised his work ethic, noting that he had already spent several weeks working downtown security details during the FIFA World Cup games earlier this summer.
People who worked with Moses described him as the exact kind of person cities want in uniform. He grew up in the area, lived locally, and chose public service early on. Before joining APD, he spent nearly a year managing operations with the city corrections department.
The loss hit his academy classmates hard. The small group had spent four months training side by side through long days, physical tests, and academic coursework. Police Chief Darin Schierbaum paused all training sessions for Class 302 on Tuesday so the recruits could grieve together.
The driver of the Nissan Kicks survived the collision with non-life-threatening injuries and stayed at the scene. Investigators with the Atlanta Police Department spent hours blocking off the intersection to reconstruct the crash and work out how the two vehicles collided.
City leaders and state officials offered condolences to the family throughout the day. Mayor Andre Dickens and Governor Brian Kemp both issued statements honoring his years of service to the country and the city. Crash investigators have not yet released additional details on speed or right-of-way factors.
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