Parkland School Shooting Survivor Dies By Suicide After Years-Long Mental Health Battle

He was 26 years old.

Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, survivor of the Parkland School Shooting, has died.

Metayer was a senior at the Florida-based Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a gunman killed 17 students in 2018, according to People. He endured a years-long mental health battle due to his schizophrenia.

Metayer’s sister, Nancy Metayer Bowen, confirmed his death via suicide in a Facebook post. Metayer died on Dec. 15. He was 26.

“To honor Donovan’s life and legacy, our family is establishing a mental health fund in his name. This fund will expand access to mental health services and support for individuals and families who need it most. Your generosity, compassion, and continued support mean more than words can express during this time,” Metayer Bowen said.

Following the tragedy, Metayer became an IT professional, but remained in a long-term battle with his mental health issues.

“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. The trauma of that day and the loss of classmates lingered long after graduation and profoundly altered the course of his life,” according to the GoFundMe page to support the mental health fund.

The family mentioned how he suffered from “depression, guilt, emotional instability, and long periods of isolation” that left him unable to continue his studies in college. Despite hospitalizations and treatments, Metayer continued to battle these mental challenges.

Things began to look up for Metayer thanks to private psychiatrist services. He later earned his IT certificate and embarked on a career in the field. But, according to the GoFundMe page, the revocation of his Risk Protection Order allowed him to purchase a firearm, which he later used to commit suicide.

“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,” according to the GoFundMe page.“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.

“As we grieve his loss, we are breaking the code of silence in his memory. Though Donny’s life was brief, his impact will be everlasting.”