Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen was shot and killed on Wednesday (April 1) in what police are investigating as a domestic violence case, marking a devastating loss for the South Florida community she helped lead. She was 38.
Police said officers found Metayer Bowen dead inside her home on Northwest 127th Avenue after conducting a welfare check around 10 a.m. Wednesday. Her husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, was later taken into custody, and Local 10 reported Thursday that he was booked into the Broward County Main Jail on charges of premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Authorities have said they are not searching for any other suspects.
Metayer Bowen made history in Coral Springs in 2020, becoming the first Black and Haitian American woman to serve as a city commissioner there. She was reelected in 2024.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris named her the campaign’s Caribbean vote director in Florida during the 2024 election.
Colleagues remembered her as a dedicated public servant whose impact stretched well beyond City Hall. At a Wednesday news conference, fellow Commissioner Joshua Simmons called her his “battle buddy” and said the city is now “incomplete” without her.
City Manager Catherine Givens described the day as “a very dark day” for Coral Springs and said Metayer Bowen “wasn’t just a leader” but “the light in every room that she entered.”
Her family also shared a tribute on Instagram. In a statement cited by CBS Miami, they said, “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.” They added that her legacy will live on “in the countless lives she touched.”
The investigation into her death remains active.
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.