Canfield officer killed during skydiving accident
Magnuson was an avid parachutist and a fifth-degree black belt.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
PARKMAN -- Geauga County sheriff's investigators are trying to determine what went wrong and led to the death of Canfield's assistant police chief during a skydiving accident Sunday.
Sgt. Robert D. Magnuson, a longtime area law enforcement leader and instructor, was killed during a parachute accident just after 3 p.m. Sunday in Troy Township. A sheriff's spokesman said Magnuson's main parachute failed to open and his backup chute did not deploy in time.
Magnuson and three other parachutists jumped from 10,000 feet, said Lt. John Hiscox of the sheriff's office. Their plane took off from the Cleveland Parachute Club, a private airstrip in Parkman Township, 33 miles southeast of Cleveland.
Magnuson is a 28-year veteran of the Canfield Police Department. He leaves a wife and four children.
Canfield police Sgt. Cris Ruiz was not sure how long Magnuson had been involved in skydiving but said he was serious about the sport.
"He was an avid parachutist with years of experience," he said.
Magnuson became a Canfield police officer in 1978 and was promoted to sergeant in 1995. He was named assistant chief in 2000.
Other accomplishments
Magnuson served as commander of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force from Jan. 1, 2003, to Dec. 31, 2005. During that time the task force made many drug-related arrests involving drug rings from New York and the Dominican Republic.
Adding to Magnuson's long list of credentials were his abilities as an instructor. He was certified by the Ohio Peace Officers Training Council and taught numerous classes on defensive tactics, use of force, vehicle stops and other topics. He also taught a number of private seminars across the country and wrote training programs on topics such as women's self-defense.
Magnuson was recognized for developing the Strategies and Tactics of Patrol Stops text and training program that gained international recognition. In 2000, the Ohio Peace Officer Training Council adopted the program as a 20-hour block of instruction in the Ohio Peace Officer Basic Police Academy curriculum.
Magnuson also had mastered the martial arts, becoming a fifth-degree black belt and member of the International Jujitsu Federation.
He was named Officer of the Year in 1984, Instructor of the Year in 1995, and in 2005 received Canfield Police Department's Police Commendation Award.
Investigators with the sheriff's office and the Federal Aviation Administration were to return to the scene today, Hiscox said.