Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting in Florida, has tragically died at the age of 26.
His family announced the heartbreaking news, sharing that after a seven-year battle with schizophrenia, Donovan died by suicide on Dec. 15. An IT professional, Donovan was also a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where he was a senior when 17 people were killed on Feb. 14. His sister, Nancy Metayer Bowen, shared the news in a post on Facebook.
As previously reported, on February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, part of the Miami metropolitan area. Seventeen people were killed and 18 others were injured.
The tragedy deeply impacted students, many of whom have spent years trying to navigate life in the aftermath.
For Donovan, however, life was forever marked by the shooting and the trauma he carried afterward. According to his family, he “carried unimaginable sorrow.” They explained that as a result of the incident, he dealt with severe mental health struggles, including “depression, guilt, emotional instability, and long periods of isolation [which] replaced the vibrant young man we once knew.”
“Though he had dreamt of college and a future in computer science, his worsening mental health made those dreams difficult to reach,” the 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.”
“Donny often masked his pain to not burden those he loved, even as our family fought alongside him,” his family wrote. “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.”
Donovan’s family said he was eventually able to find “a lifeline, offering guidance, compassion, and hope for his future” after getting involved with the Henderson Behavioral Health Clinic, along with a private psychiatrist.
“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,” the family wrote on the GoFundMe. “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.”
However, earlier this month, Donovan’s Risk Protection Order, a civil court order that prohibits a person from purchasing a firearm, lapsed. As a result, the 26-year-old was legally allowed to purchase a handgun.
“A week later, he would use that same handgun to take his own life in our family home,” the family wrote.
“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,” the family said. “As we grieve his loss, we are breaking the code of silence in his memory.”
Donovan’s visitation and funeral service will take place on Saturday, Jan. 3, in Coral Springs. As of Sunday, Dec. 21, the GoFundMe has raised $20,000 toward its $70,000 goal. His family plans to use part of the funds to endow a program at the Henderson Clinic “that will provide healthcare, housing and hope for people of all ages with behavioral health conditions throughout Florida.”