Paradise Valley to honor former police chief at MLK Day celebration after collision death

John Wintersteen founded Paradise Valley's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration nearly 26 years ago. On Jan. 15, the town will host its first celebration of King without him.

Wintersteen was killed Sunday evening after being struck by a car while trying to save his injured dog who was hit on a busy road. Nooraly Lalji, 47, also was killed while trying to help the dog.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety said the incident occurred just before 6:40 p.m. when Lalji struck a dog with his Mercedes Benz in the first westbound lane of Lincoln Drive just east of 46th Street. He then turned the car around and got out to try and help the dog.

Wintersteen came out of his house nearby to help the dog as well.

While they were tending to it, a Lexus RX struck both Lalji and Wintersteen. After they had already been struck by the Lexus, a Nissan Sentra then drove over at least one of the victims. Both were taken to a Scottsdale hospital where they were pronounced dead. The dog also died.

Lalji is survived by his wife and three kids, according to the Paradise Valley Police Department.

"Our hearts are broken. John Wintersteen lived a life of true service and care for others. His positive contributions to our nation and our community are immeasurable. He will be deeply missed," said Jerry Bien-Willner, mayor of Paradise Valley.

Wintersteen served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 30 years before leading the Paradise Valley Police Department as police chief, a position he held from 1995 to 2009. He also served as the city's director of public safety, town marshal and director of emergency management.

Jimmy Phan, a community resource officer who serves as a liaison between the Paradise Valley community and the Police Department, said Wintersteen helped the town grow to become something special.

Even after Wintersteen's retirement, he continued to dedicate himself to the community, Phan said.

Wintersteen volunteered with the Rotary Club of Southwest USA and served on the board of Empire of Hope, where he led charitable efforts to fight issues of poverty and unemployment, and promote education and medical care in African countries. He also volunteered in the Valley, as he worked with the Creighton Community Foundation to provide food for families of students who suffered from food insecurity.

The loss of Wintersteen has stunned both the police force as well as the community he's served. Phan said people in and even outside the community have sent messages to pay respects for Wintersteen's life and legacy.

"We were all saddened to hear it because he was such a pillar to the community," Phan said. "Communities of members even outside of Paradise Valley have sent me messages to let me know that they're saddened by hearing the passing of Chief John Wintersteen due to his nature of wanting to serve others."

Phan said one of the more memorable impacts Wintersteen had in Paradise Valley was organizing the MLK Day celebration at Town Hall for more than 25 years, an event that he was a co-chair of.

"He invited people from all over the community to come in and talk about the impacts of society and culture and commemorate the memory and importance of MLK and what he has done to move us to this point," Phan said.

Phan added that the event has grown over the years. "It used to be just a small group of 10 to 15 people, then it grew up to (have) 250 coming in."

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The event is scheduled to have its 26th iteration on Monday, Jan. 15. But it will be the first without Wintersteen. Phan said a picture of Wintersteen will be at the event for people to pay their respects.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Paradise Valley Town Hall, located off Invergordon Road and Lincoln Drive.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Paradise Valley to honor former police chief at MLK Day celebration