A man and his pet Pomeranian were killed Monday night when they were hit by a car while crossing Miamisburg Centerville Road — Ohio 725 — near the Dayton Mall.

Friends said Tuesday that the deceased, William J. Kish, 32, and his dog Rocco regularly walked near the mall since he moved to the area recently from Middletown.

“He was a good friend of mine and we walked the same route every day,” said Alan Wayne, who was walking his dog Patti alone on Tuesday.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is handling the investigation into the crash which occurred at about 9:30 p.m. Monday and said there will likely not be charges against the driver involved.

Lt. Mark Nichols said an initial investigation determined that Kish was carrying the 17-pound dog as he crossed from the south side of the road to the north side near the Toys R Us store. He was struck by a westbound vehicle, which troopers say did not appear to have been speeding.

Kish was taken to Kettering Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. His parents were notified of his death early Tuesday morning.

Nichols said they do not anticipate any charges against the driver of the brown Sedan, believed to be a man in his 20s. He said Kish was wearing darker clothing and trying to cross multiple lanes of traffic not in a cross walk.

The driver was shaken up so badly that the patrol had to call someone to the scene to calm the driver. That driver was tested for alcohol use as part of routine procedure for traffic accident investigations. The results of that test are pending.

After the traffic investigation was complete, the dog was taken by troopers to the MedVet: Medical and Cancer Center for Pets, 2714 Springboro West, in Moraine. Nichols said Kish’s family was notified of the dog’s whereabouts.

Several lanes of Ohio 725 were closed for several hours and reopened after midnight Tuesday morning.