Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Moses Formwalt was stabbed to death by a prisoner he was escorting from the council chambers at the courthouse.
Deputy Formwalt had previously served as the first mayor of Atlanta, from 1848 to 1849, after the city was renamed from Marthasville. A city street was named in his honor.
Deputy Formwalt had served with the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office for one year and is buried in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-GA-43C05CC3- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
174 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Formwalt gave the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Decatur community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Moses W. Formwalt is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In GA, 549 of 905 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.7% of this state's fallen. That is 60.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Moses W. Formwalt's cause is highlighted.
How Moses W. Formwalt Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Moses W. Formwalt is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from DeKalb County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
