12/24/2025
Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer was a survivor of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. He died by su***de at age 26 on December 15, 2025, after a long battle with mental health challenges, including schizophrenia and depression, related to the trauma he experienced.
The family described Donovan, known as “Donny,” as “a radiant child,” writing that he was “brilliant and curious” and “always excelled academically, with an intellect matched only by a magnetic humor and warmth that could light up any room, effortlessly.”
“The trauma of that day and the loss of classmates lingered long after graduation and profoundly altered the course of his life,” the family wrote.
They said that in the months following the attack, “Donny began to withdraw,” and that “depression, guilt, emotional instability, and long periods of isolation replaced the vibrant young man we once knew.”
The family said he had planned to attend college and pursue computer science, but that “his worsening mental health made those dreams difficult to reach.”
“Over the years that followed, he would be hospitalized multiple times for suicidal ideation,” they wrote. “Like so many young people, he struggled to accept a mental health diagnosis.”
His treatment, the family said, involved “therapy, medication, and constant adjustments,” adding that “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.”
They said that in 2021, “a mental health episode… would result in Donny being Baker-acted, and he was temporarily barred from purchasing a firearm.”
“Shortly after, the Henderson Clinic and a private psychiatrist became a lifeline, offering guidance, compassion, and hope for his future,” the family wrote.
With their support, Donovan earned an IT certificate and began working at Office Depot in Coral Springs, where he was quickly promoted.
“After years of challenges, he was beginning to carve out a sense of independence and a future he could believe in,” the family wrote. “His progress was a source of immense pride for our family.”
But earlier this month, upon learning that his Risk Protection Order preventing him from buying a firearm had lapsed, “Donny purchased a handgun at a local gun shop,” the GoFundMe page states.
“A week later, he would use that same handgun to take his own life in our family home,” his family wrote.
They described his su***de as “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,” the family wrote. “Though Donny’s life was brief, his impact will be everlasting.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. The Su***de and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling or texting 988.
