Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, has died by suicide at age 26 after a seven-year struggle with schizophrenia that began soon after the attack, his family said.
Metayer, an IT professional from Coral Springs, was a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire on February 14, 2018, killing 17 students and staff.
His sister, Nancy Metayer Bowen, announced the death on Facebook Saturday, saying it occurred on December 15.
The family also shared details in a GoFundMe statement, describing Metayer — born September 16, 1999, and known as “Donny”—as “brilliant and curious” with academic excellence matched by “a magnetic humor and warmth that could light up any room, effortlessly.”
“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,” the 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. “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 after the shooting, Metayer withdrew from public life and faced mounting mental health issues, including depression, guilt, emotional instability, and long periods of isolation that “replaced the vibrant young man we once knew,” according to 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.”
“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,” the statement continued.“Donny often masked his pain to not burden those he loved, even as our family fought alongside him,” the family wrote.
A 2021 mental health episode led to involuntary treatment under Florida’s Baker Act for emergency assessment and stabilization, which also imposed a temporary firearm purchase ban through a Risk Protection Order.
Metayer later connected with the Henderson Behavioral Health Clinic and a private psychiatrist, which “became a lifeline, offering guidance, compassion, and hope for his future.” Through therapy and medication, he earned an IT certificate, landed a job at Office Depot in Coral Springs, and earned a quick promotion.
“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,” relatives said.
Earlier this month, after the Risk Protection Order expired, Metayer bought a handgun at a local 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, aimed at covering funeral costs and endowing a fund at the Henderson Clinic to provide “healthcare, housing and hope for people of all ages with behavioral health conditions throughout Florida,” has raised more than $43,000 toward a $70,000 goal as of December 22.
“Though Donny’s life was brief, his impact will be everlasting,” the family wrote.
Visitation and funeral services are set for January 3 in Coral Springs, People magazine reported.
In her Facebook post, Bowen thanked supporters: “I see your messages, hear your voicemails and [am] deeply grateful for every expression of remorse.”
