Tragic End: Retired Police Chief and Amazon Executive Killed by Car While Saving Injured Dog”

A retired police chief and an Amazon executive have died in Arizona after they were hit by a car while attempting to help an injured dog.

Nooraly Lalji, 47, and John Wintersteen, 78, were tending to the injured animal by 46th Street and Lincoln Drive when they were both hit by a Lexus RX, according to a news release from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, obtained by PEOPLE.

Authorities said Lalji stopped and got out of his car after hitting the dog with his Mercedes-Benz on Lincoln Drive around 6:30 p.m. local time. Wintersteen left his nearby home to help.

At least one of the men was also run over by a Nissan Sentra, DPS said. The two men were transported to a Scottsdale hospital, where they later died. The dog involved in the incident also died.

Town records show that Lalji was the Head of Business Development for Amazon in 2018, according to NBC affiliate KPNX. A family member told the station that Lalji still worked there when he died.

Wintersteen spent 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and became a commanding officer by age 22, according to a statement from the Town of Paradise Valley. He later spent 20 years in the USMC Military Police before retiring in 1995 as a lieutenant colonel.

That same year, Wintersteen joined the Paradise Valley Police Department. He spent 14 years in various roles, including, Chief of Police, Director of Public Safety, Town Marshal and Director of Emergency Management.

Wintersteen also served as interim chief for Clarksdale’s police department from 2011 to 2012, per KPNX. “He was a tough act to follow,” said Clarkdale Police Chief Randy Taylor. “Every staff member absolutely loved him.”

Wintersteen’s granddaughter Hana said the dog involved in the crash belonged to her grandfather. “He was the dog’s person,” she told KPNX. “They really cared for each other.”

Both drivers involved in Saturday’s deadly crash remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, according to the DPS news release. Investigators do not believe impairment was a factor in the collision.