Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, has died by suicide. He was 26, according to his family.
Metayer was a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., when gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire, killing 17 students and staff members.
He took his life following a seven-year battle with schizophrenia that began almost immediately after the mass shooting, his sister, Nancy Metayer Bowen, announced in a Facebook post on Saturday.
Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, has died by suicide. He was 26. GoFundMe
“The loss of our family’s youngest child is a sorrow beyond words—one that will echo through our lives, forever. Yet even in our grief, we are choosing to speak Donovan’s truth, so that other families do not have to suffer in silence the way we have,” Metayer’s family wrote in a GoFundMe statement.
Metayer, known affectionately as “Donny,” was “brilliant and curious” and “excelled academically, with an intellect matched only by a magnetic humor and warmth that could light up any room, effortlessly,” the statement said.
“But, beneath that light, Donny carried unimaginable sorrow,” his family wrote.
“A graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, his senior year was marked by the Parkland shooting, one of the most devastating acts of gun violence in our nation’s history,” they added.
Metayer was a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland when gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire, killing 17 students and staff members. GoFundMe
“The trauma of that day and the loss of classmates lingered long after graduation and profoundly altered the course of his life.”
In the months following the shooting, Metayer began to withdraw from the public and struggle with his mental health, according to his relatives.
“Though he had dreamt of college and a future in computer science, his worsening mental health made those dreams difficult to reach,” his family said.
“Over the years that followed, he would be hospitalized multiple times for suicidal ideation. Like so many young people, he struggled to accept a mental health diagnosis,” the statement continued.
“Finding care through limited resources, systemic barriers, and the realities of navigating mental health crises as a young Black man made his path all the more steep.”
After a mental health episode in 2021, Metayer was given treatment under Florida’s Baker Act, meaning he was placed under an involuntary hold to receive an emergency mental health assessment and treatment.
The Baker Act also temporarily barred him from purchasing a firearm through a Risk Protection Order.
Shortly after, Metayer began working with the Henderson Clinic and a private psychiatrist, which “became a lifeline.”
Metayer was remembered as “brilliant and curious” and for carrying a “magnetic humor and warmth.” GoFundMe
“With their support, Donny began to heal, earning an IT certificate and joining the team at Office Depot in Coral Springs, where he was quickly promoted,” his family wrote.
“After years of challenges, he was beginning to carve out a sense of independence and a future he could believe in. His progress was a source of immense pride for our family.”
Earlier this month, after learning that his Risk Protection Order had lapsed, Metayer purchased a handgun at a local gun shop.
“A week later, he would use that same handgun to take his own life in our family home,” according to the fundraiser.
The GoFundMe, which will assist Metayer’s family with funeral services and endow a fund at the Henderson Clinic, has raised over $22,000 of its $70,000 goal.
“Donny’s passing is a heartbreaking reminder of the mental health crisis plaguing our youth and the lasting trauma of gun violence on our community,” his family said.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
