A survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland died last week, the young man's family posted on Facebook and GoFundMe. Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer was 26 years old.
Family members said the trauma of the Parkland shooting, which left 17 people dead, including 14 of his classmates, "lingered long after graduation and profoundly altered the course of his life."
"In the months that followed, Donny began to withdraw," they said. "Depression, guilt, emotional instability, and long periods of isolation 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."
His family is turning their grief into a mission of hope following the death of Metayer, whose family said he "lost his life to suicide after a years-long battle with schizophrenia."
Family members said a "Risk Protection Order" had expired earlier this month, which allowed him to purchase a handgun at a local gun shop. They said "he would use that same handgun to take his own life in our family home" on Dec. 15.
"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," said family members.
"As we grieve his loss, we are breaking the code of silence in his memory," they said. "Though Donny’s life was brief, his impact will be everlasting."
To honor the young man, the family created a GoFundMe page to raise money "to assist our family with the celebration of life services and to endow a fund at the Henderson Clinic."
The family wrote that the Henderson Clinic and a private psychiatrist "became a lifeline" for the young man "offering guidance, compassion, and hope for his future."
“In lieu of calls, messages, or flowers, I invite you, if you are able, to consider a donation of any amount to support this effort,” wrote Nancy Metayer Bowen, the young man's older sister on Facebook.
“Thank you for holding our family in your thoughts and for honoring Donovan’s memory with such grace, compassion, and love," she wrote.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org in the U.S., or contact your local emergency services.
