Donovan Metayer was a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day 2018 when a gunman opened fire, killing 17 people.
A young man who was described as a “radiant” child to his family and friends has died.
Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, 26, committed suicide on December 15. Metayer, a survivor of the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, developed mental health issues after the tragic event and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The shooting occurred during Metayer’s senior year, a time when most students are considering college applications and life after high school.
But the shooting, which killed 17 people, had a profound impact on Metayer and is an example of how the trauma of gun violence lingers for years.
Donovan is the youngest child of the Metayer family. He has been talented since he was a child and has excellent academic performance. His humor could “light up any room,” according to a GoFundMe page set up for him.
In the years after the Parkland shooting, Metayer’s dreams of attending college and working in the computer science career he loved began to fade. He has been hospitalized multiple times for suicidal ideation, and after a mental health episode in 2021, he acted like Baker and was deemed temporarily unable to purchase a gun.
After several years, with the help of a private psychiatrist and the Henderson Clinic, Mayer began to make progress and recovery. He was soon working at Office Depot and earning a promotion and IT certification. His mental health journey echoes that of many black boys in America, who mask their emotions and don’t want to be seen as a “burden” to their families. From therapy to medication, treatment can seem like a difficult path due to limited resources, social stigma, and more.
However, as Metayer progressed and gained more independence, he soon learned that his risk protection order had expired, according to family members.
Metayer then purchased a gun from a gun store in the area and within a week, he turned the gun on himself.
Donovan’s family wrote in a statement shared on his GoFundMe page: “Downey’s passing is a heartbreaking reminder of the mental health crisis our young people face, and the lasting trauma that gun violence inflicts on our communities. As we mourn his passing, we are breaking the code of silence in his memory. While Downey’s life was short, his impact will be eternal.”
Mayer’s family is seeking funds to help Mayer celebrate his life and donate a fund to the Henerson Clinic, which will “provide health care, housing and hope to people of all ages living with behavioral health issues throughout Florida.”
If you or someone you know is facing a mental health challenge, emotional distress, substance abuse problem, or just needs to talk, call 988 or text, or have a chat 988lifeline.org 24/7.
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