Type keyword(s) to search

News

Donovan Metayer's GoFundMe raises nearly $30K after 2018 Parkland school shooting survivor dies by suicide at 26

Donovan Metayer - the survivor from 2018 Parkland school shooting - died by suicide last week. His family has started a fundraiser to support the mental health needs of others in his honour.
posted by Akanksha Mishra
Monday 12/22/2025 at 3:12AM EST
  • WINDER, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 4: A police line is put up in front of Apalachee High School after a school shooting took place on September 4, 2024 in Winder, Georgia. Multiple fatalities and injuries have been reported and a suspect is in custody according to authorities. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)
    WINDER, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 4: A police line is put up in front of Apalachee High School after a school shooting took place on September 4, 2024 in Winder, Georgia. Multiple fatalities and injuries have been reported and a suspect is in custody according to authorities. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

    Donovan Metayer - the survivor from the 2018 Parkland school shooting - passed away on December 15 after killing himself. Metayor's death was announced to the world by his sister - and Vice Mayor of Coral Springs - Nancy Metayer. In a Facebook post uploaded over the weekend, Nancy wrote:

    "On Monday, December 15th, my baby brother, Donovan, died by suicide after a seven-year battle with schizophrenia. I see your messages, hear your voicemails, and am deeply grateful for every expression of remorse. As I continue to navigate my grief, I am not in a space to carry conversations at this time, but please know your kindness has not gone unnoticed."

    The Vice Mayor also spoke of a mental health fund that the Metayer family was starting in the name of their lost son, urging anyone willing to donate to the cause.

    The fundraiser campaign, which will expire in 12 days (on January 3, 2026), aims to raise $70K and has already received over $30K in donations.

    The description of the GoFundMe page elaborates on the struggle Donovan Metayer went through after surviving the Parkland school shooting, reading:

    "Like so many young people, he struggled to accept a mental health diagnosis. Treatment - therapy, medication, and constant adjustments - was a journey marked by exhaustion. Donny often masked his pain to not burden those he loved, even as our family fought alongside him. Finding care through limited sources, systemic barriers, and the realitis of navigating mental health crises as a young Black man made his path all the more steep."

    For the unversed, Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer was a former student in Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Doughlas High School eight years ago, when gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire at the campus, killing 17 students.

    Although Metayer survived the shooting, it left a scarring impact on his mental health, resulting in a schizophrenia diagnosis not long after. 

    Donovan Metayer was banned from buying firearms until last month

    The GoFundMe page detailing Donovan Metayer's mental health struggles also mentions an incident from four years ago that led to the young man receiving treatment udnder the Florida Baker Act. 

    Following a mental health episode in 2021, Metayer was placed under an involuntary hold and given emergency mental health assessment and treatment.

    The act also banned Donovan from buying any firearm.

    After the episode, a private psychiatrist from Henderson Clinic started working with Donny, which helped him heal and beginning to lead a normal life.

    After obtaining an IT certificate, he got a job at Coral Springs' Office Depot. 

    In December 2025, Metayer's Risk Protection Order lapsed, lifting the ban on him buying firearms.

    He bought a handgun from a local gun shop after learning of it, which ended up taking his life a week later. 

    TOPICS: Donovan Metayer, Parkland