Liverpool Police Chief Don Morris received a Sheriff’s Award for Bravery Monday, Dec. 8, in recognition of his Oct. 28, 2013 arrest of double murder suspect Justin Dallas, 26, of Syracuse.

Receiving Medals of Valor were Sheriff’s Deputies Karen Munroe and Mike Quigley who were also on the scene when Dallas was captured as he attempted suicide in Onondaga Lake.

Dallas eventually pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing his estranged wife, Brandy Dallas, 24, and her friend, Samantha Rainwater, 30, at their home at 915 Second St., in Liverpool on the morning of Oct. 28, 2013.

After being called to the crime scene that day, Morris spotted the suspect – who had stolen his wife’s car after the killings – driving south on Second Street near the corner of Hickory, toward the village business district. The chief followed and attempted to stop the car, but Dallas did not pull over.

Sheriff’s deputies Quigley and Munroe joined the pursuit as it continued past Heid’s Corner to the main entrance of Onondaga Lake Park, where Dallas drove across the grass directly toward the lake.

Morris and the two deputies followed him into the lake as the suspect dived in. Dallas “was totally submerged,” Morris said. A brief struggle took place in waist-deep water.

On July 28, Onondaga County Judge Thomas Miller sentenced Justin Dallas to 46 years in state prison.

Morris and the deputies received their awards on Monday from outgoing Onondaga County Sheriff Kevin Walsh at the Sheriff’s Promotion and Awards Ceremony at Gillette Road Middle School in Cicero.