mr. swenson 's struggle with a debilitating motorcycle injury led to the suicide .
skaters worldwide are mourning the loss of eric swenson , 64 , of potrero hill , whose local manufacturing and publishing ventures helped launch a massive and lasting subculture .
three years later , mr. swenson and his friends , fausto vitello and kevin thatcher , co - founded trendsetting thrasher magazine .
a " very private person , " swenson may have chosen the police station to end his life in order to spare his loved ones from finding him , said gwynn vitello , thrasher 's publisher and wife of swenson 's business partner , the late fausto vitello .
 
thrasher magazine , died monday in san francisco in 1983 .
( photo by mofo www.thrashermagazine.com ) the man who ended his life in front of the mission police station on monday was a skateboarding icon and co - founder of san francisco - based thrasher magazine .
swenson shot himself around 8:30 a.m. without going inside the police station or talking to any officers .
eric swenson , co - founder of the skateboard magazine thrasher , committed suicide june 20 , 2011 .