Billy Grooms died days after police say he was run over during a gas station attack.
HILLSBORO, Ohio — Relatives are remembering Billy Grooms as a selfless father and husband after police said he was fatally injured while helping a woman during a gas station assault.
Grooms, 49, died after the early Sunday attack at a gas station on South High Street. Court records say Javen Meadows, 22, was charged with strangulation and assault after the confrontation. Police said Meadows has not yet been charged in Grooms’ death, but additional charges are pending.
Grooms was at the gas station with his son when they saw a woman being attacked, relatives said. Court records say Meadows had followed his ex-girlfriend to the Holtfield gas station, arrived in a Ford F-150 just after 2:30 a.m. and rammed another truck. Investigators said he then grabbed the woman by the neck, threw her to the ground, kicked her and later punched her.
Angela Osborn, Grooms’ sister-in-law, said Grooms stepped in after seeing the woman in danger. “He went to intervene and asked the boy to let her go,” Osborn said. Police said Meadows got back into his pickup and ran over Grooms as he drove from the scene. Grooms was flown to a hospital with a traumatic brain injury, multiple broken bones and severe head trauma.
Amy Grooms said doctors first tried to fight the swelling in her husband’s brain, but his condition worsened. “We were trying for hope,” she said. Grooms was placed on life support and taken off Thursday night. Before his death, hospital workers and family members formed an honor walk as he was moved for organ donation.
Relatives said Grooms donated organs that helped at least five people. Osborn said that fit the way he lived. “He has just been that person to save as many people as he can,” she said. Grooms leaves behind his wife and two sons. His family said he was the household’s sole provider.
The woman who police say Grooms helped later released a statement calling him a hero. She said she believed his actions saved her life and said she would carry that gratitude forever. Amy Grooms said her husband was not a highly social person, but those who knew him knew he cared deeply and loved hard.
The investigation now moves through Hillsboro Municipal Court, where records list strangulation and assault charges against Meadows. Police said he fled at high speeds after the gas station attack and was later found in the New Market area. Officials have not released a final charging decision tied to Grooms’ death.
Family members said they are still trying to understand how Grooms died while trying to stop an assault. Amy Grooms said he would have stepped in for anyone. The next major step is a decision from investigators and prosecutors on any additional charges.
Author note: Last updated Sunday, June 7, 2026.