Loved ones gather to honor Atlanta police recruit Moses Russ killed in deadly motorcycle crash

Family, friends and fellow police recruits gathered Friday to remember a 24-year-old Atlanta Police Department recruit who was killed in a motorcycle crash.

Moses Russ died Sept. 1 after his Kawasaki Ninja collided with an SUV at Moreland Avenue and McDonough Boulevard, according to Atlanta police. Russ was traveling to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center when the crash happened. He was pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital.

During Friday's memorial gathering and balloon release, loved ones remembered Russ for his smile and his commitment to serving others.

"His smile was amazing. You definitely remember it," his sister, Joana Russ, said. "Everybody speaking about it, they're telling you the truth. If you see him online, he's probably smiling. You're going to know exactly what we're talking about."

Russ was a Coast Guard veteran, according to his family. He also spent two years working as a corrections officer with the Atlanta Department of Corrections before joining the Atlanta Police Academy in March.

Atlanta police said Russ was in his 16th week of academy training when he died.

"He was the first one to tell me, 'Happy Mother's Day, happy birthday, happy New Year,'" his grandmother, Teresa Booker, said.

Members of Russ' academy class stood together as green balloons were released into the night sky in his memory.

The Atlanta Police Department's Accident Investigations Unit continues to investigate the crash. Russ' family is planning his funeral.