April 1 (Reuters) – The vice mayor of Coral Springs, Florida, was shot and killed on Wednesday and her husband \u200bwas taken into custody as the lone suspect in \u200cwhat police called a case of domestic violence, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nancy Metayer Bowen, 38, was the first Black woman and first Haitian American woman \u200bto serve as commissioner in Coral Springs, a town \u200bof about 134,000 people some 45 miles (72 km) \u2060north of Miami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was elected to the commission in 2020, \u200bre-elected in 2024, and named vice mayor by her fellow \u200bcommissioners, according to the city’s website. Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris named her as her campaign’s Caribbean vote director in Florida, the Sun Sentinel \u200breported in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police responding to a call found Metayer \u200bBowen’s body in her home and later arrested her husband. He was \u200cbooked \u2060into the Broward County jail in Fort Lauderdale, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stephen Bowen, 40, was listed as chief operating officer of Men of St. Luke, a religious and fraternal nonprofit organization registered in \u200bBroward County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Court \u200brecords have not \u2060yet listed a defense lawyer for Bowen, and authorities have not said whether he has \u200bretained counsel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fellow Commissioner Joshua Simmons remembered Metayer Bowen \u200bas \u2060a “battle buddy,” saying he often tried to shield her from the harsh nature of politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“She had such a good heart. Truly \u2060cared \u200babout people, even when people were \u200bsaying some of the most horrible things about her,” Simmons told a press \u200bconference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n