24-year-old Atlanta police recruit killed in crash on Moreland Avenue: "A very tough time"

An Atlanta police recruit has died in a crash on Moreland Avenue early Tuesday morning, officials say.

According to the Atlanta Police Department, the deadly crash happened shortly before 7:17 a.m. near the intersection of McDonough Boulevard and Moreland Avenue and involved at least one vehicle and a motorcycle.

At a press conference, Mayor Andre Dickens and Atlanta Chief of Police Darin Schierbaum said that 24-year-old recruit Moses Russ was involved in the accident while on his way to work. Medics rushed Moses to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died.

Officials say Russ was in his 16th week of training at the academy as part of APD's Class 302 and had been deployed out in downtown Atlanta during the FIFA World Cup.

"He was preparing to serve the public, preparing to serve you as citizens and members of this great region," Dickens said.

Schierbaum called Russ the "exact type of person we would want to be a police officer."

Before joining the APD, Russ served two years in the Atlanta Department of Corrections and had been a member of the U.S. Coast Guard

Atlanta Chief of Corrections Elder Dancy said Russ was beloved by his fellow team members and went out of his way to make sure those who were detained were treated with dignity.

Training has been paused for the other Atlanta police recruits to allow them time to grieve, Schierbaum said, describing Russ' death as a "very tough time."

"They have lost a friend and fellow recruit who was like a brother to them," he said.

Officials say the other driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.