Florida Deputy Mayor Nancy Metair Bowen was shot dead inside her home and her husband was charged with premeditated murder – Al-Ayyam Bahraini newspaper

Deputy Mayor of Coral Springs, Florida, Nancy Metair Bowen, was found dead inside her home on Wednesday when police responded to a call at around 10 a.m. When cops arrived, they said they found the sheriff’s deputy dead and determined the incident was domestic in nature.

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

He was a survivor of the deadly 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 Metair-Bowen,” the family said in a statement on their Instagram page. “Not only was she a cherished member of our family, but she was also a dedicated public servant who dedicated her life to improving the lives of others,” he added.

“While many knew her as a leader and advocate, we knew her as a sister, daughter and friend whose warmth and laughter filled every room. Her legacy will live on not only in the policies she helped 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 left behind,” the statement read.

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

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