Florida vice-mayor Nancy Metayer-Bowen shot dead inside residence, husband charged with ‘premeditated murder’

Vice mayor of Florida’s Coral Springs Nancy Metayer-Bowen was found dead inside her home Wednesday as police responded to a call around 10 am. When the cops arrived, they said they found the vice mayor dead and they determined that the incident was domestic in nature.

Her husband Stephen Bowen was taken into custody and was charged with premeditated murder and tampering with fabricated evidence. Reports said Nancy was shot and killed and the incident shook the Metayer family to the core as it has been only three months since they lost their son. Nancy Metayer’s younger brother Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer died by suicide on December 15. Joshua had been battling schizophrenia for the last seven years.

He was a survivor of the deadly school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, in 2018.“On behalf of our entire family, we are deeply saddened to share the passing of my beloved sister Nancy Metayer-Bowen,” the family said in a statement on her Instagram page. “She was not only a cherished member of our family, but also a dedicated public servant who committed her life to improving the lives of others.”

“While many knew her as a leader and advocate, we knew her as a sister, a daughter, and a friend whose warmth and laughter filled every room. Her legacy will live on not only in the policies she helped to shape, but in the countless lives she touched. We are grateful for the outpouring of support and kindness during this difficult time. As we mourn her loss, we also celebrate her remarkable life and the lasting impact she leaves behind,” the statement said.

38-year-old Metayer became the first Black woman elected to the Coral Springs Commission in 2020. She served as Florida’s Caribbean Vote Director during the 2024 presidential election. Rep Jared Moskowitz posted on X: “I’m in shock. I was just with her on Saturday. She just buried her brother. She was about to announce she was running for Congress.” State Rep. Angie Nixon also issued a statement, saying she was in “total shock” and is “devastated,” calling Metayer her friend, colleague and sister in the movement. “She was a kind and caring person, and a true leader in her community. This is an immense loss for all of us, and the world is darker without her.

I am keeping Nancy’s family in my thoughts and prayers.”