Pedestrians trying to get injured dog out of Phoenix roadway fatally struck by car
PHOENIX - DPS released a sad update on a crash involving two people and a dog that happened over the weekend.
At around 7 p.m. on Jan. 7, Paradise Valley Police said they were on the scene of an incident near 46th Street and Lincoln Drive. According to a statement from DPS on Jan. 8, a car was on the westbound lanes of Lincoln Drive when a dog was struck.
"The driver of the vehicle, 47-year-old Nooraly Lalji, turned around and got out of his vehicle to help the dog. At some point, 78-year-old John Wintersteen, came out of his nearby residence to help the dog as well," read a portion of DPS' statement. "While tending to the dog, a Lexus RX struck both Lalji and Wintersteen. After the initial collision, a Nissan Sentra drove over at least one of the victims after they had already been struck."
According to DPS, both Lalji and Wintersteen were taken to the hospital, where they later died.
DPS said the drivers stayed on the scene. They provided statements, and investigators do not believe anyone was impaired.
Paradise Valley Police officials have confirmed that Wintersteen served as their police chief from 1995 to 2009.
"Chief Wintersteen's legacy is woven into the fabric of our department, and we will miss him dearly," a portion of the statement read.
Clarkdale Police Department Chief Randy Taylor remembers Wintersteen fondly.
"He chose service above self. He lived it," he said. "I just found out this morning. Pretty devastated."
Wintersteen was the long-time Paradise Valley Police Chief until 2009. He then became the interim chief at Clarkdale PD.
The current Chief, Randy Taylor, replaced him. That started a decade-long friendship.
"As a leader, he was hands-on. He wouldn’t ask anything of his staff he wouldn’t do himself. He was, in my mind, very charismatic. You could tell he was a career military person, but he had an aura around him that was more just a genuine, caring, considerate person," Chief Randy Taylor said.
He says although Wintersteen was 78, he had a lot of life left to live.
"Unfortunately, he left way, way too early," he said.