Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, a 26-year-old Black male from Coral Springs, Florida, passed away on December 15, 2025, inside his family’s residence. His death was ruled a suicide, marking the tragic end of a years-long struggle with severe mental health challenges. Donovan was a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where he was a senior at the time of the attack.
Following the trauma of that event, he developed schizophrenia and battled profound survivor’s guilt, depression, and emotional instability for seven years.
The circumstances surrounding his death involved a firearm that he had purchased shortly before the incident. According to reports, Donovan had previously been the subject of a Risk Protection Order under Florida law, which had temporarily prohibited him from purchasing guns due to his mental health history. This order, however, had expired earlier in December 2025. With the restriction lifted, he was legally able to buy the handgun that he used to take his own life just one week later.
Because the death was determined to be self-inflicted, there were no suspects sought by law enforcement, and no arrests were made in connection with the fatality. The investigation concluded that no other individuals were involved in the shooting. His family, including his sister who serves as a local official, publicly shared the details of his passing to highlight the ongoing mental health crisis affecting gun violence survivors. They emphasized that despite receiving treatment, including therapy and medication, the compounding weight of his condition and past trauma proved insurmountable.
