He even supposedly greased the exterior to make it harder to climb. And for those who know who Heemeyer is, that divide is pretty polarizing. He also verged on conspiratorial and paranoid. "[7], Heemeyer took about a year and a half to prepare for his rampage. According to Susan Docheff, Heemeyer changed his mind and increased the price to $375,000, then to a deal worth approximately $1 million. Heemeyer also mentioned playing the lottery and the fact that he never won as a sign from God to go forward with his intentions. [1], Afterwards, the modified bulldozer came to be known as "Killdozer", although only Heemeyer was killed in the incident. His friends stated that he had no relatives in the GranbyGrand Lake area. Investigators searched the garage where they believed that Heemeyer built the vehicle and found cement and armor steel. Every round that SWAT teams and police fired at Marvin Heemeyer did. Heemeyer initially agreed to the sale, but then upped the price to $375,000. I believe Heemeyer was also depressed and suicidal. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Later, Heemeyer fired on two state troopers before they had fired at him. "Man who bulldozed through Colo. town is dead", "Granby Rampage Damage Expected To Exceed several Million", "Crews Begin Dismantling Granby Bulldozer", "Rampager was surprised his plans went unnoticed", "Rampages Tanks, Bulldozers, Whatever You Got! Its in Gods hands. By the time he was finished, he had demolished 13 buildings, including the town hall and the library within it, the police station, the home of the ex-mayor, a bank, numerous vehicles, the newspaper where Brower worked and the local hardware store. Or maybe Im just going to put you down. He also fired upon power transformers and propane tanks trying to cause explosions. Marvin John Heemeyer (October 28, 1951 - June 4, 2004) was an American welder and an automobile muffler repair shop owner who demolished numerous buildings with a modified bulldozer in Granby, Colorado on June 4, 2004. Though its disputed by the military and the governors office, several law enforcement officials confirmed that they were so desperate to stop Heemeyer that they requested either an Apache attack helicopter with a hellfire missile or a hand-held anti-tank launcher. [1] Authorities speculated Heemeyer may have used a homemade crane found in his garage to lower the armor hull over the dozer and himself. As the armor covered much of the cabin, a video camera was mounted on the exterior for visibility, covered by three-inch bulletproof plastic. Its not my fault. On June 4, 2004, Heemeyer drove his armored bulldozer through the wall of his former business, the concrete plant, the town hall, the office of the local newspaper that editorialized against him, the home of a former mayor (in which the mayor's widow then resided), and a hardware store owned by another man Heemeyer named in a lawsuit, as well as a few others. Instead, he locked himself in a garage for a year secretly building a tank, thinking he was on a mission from God to level his town. The killdozer itself was cut into pieces and scrapped. Heemeyer subsequently leased a shed on his former property back from the new owner, drove his bulldozer through the door and parked it inside. God has asked me to do this. ", Investigators later found Heemeyer's handwritten list of targets. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Heemeyer has been called a petulant 5 year old throwing a tantrum and a maniac carrying out an act of terrorism. Its unclear whether this complaint was true or not. In the end, Heemeyer left the world believing that God had asked him to undertake his rampage. [2][5], One officer dropped a flash-bang grenade down the bulldozer's exhaust pipe, with no apparent effect. [14], Various problems arose as Heemeyer destroyed the Gambles hardware store. Granby, elevation somewhere around 8,000 feet (2,438 meters), is small. Heemeyer also fired 15 bullets from his .50-BMG rifle at power transformers and propane tanks. [5] Heemeyer fired many bullets from his semi-automatic rifle at Cody Docheff when Docheff tried to stop the assault on his concrete plant by using a scraper, which was pushed aside by Heemeyer's bulldozer. Others gathered in the streets to watch the odd spectacle. "Citizens Reflect on June 4, 2004, Bulldozer Attack in Granby." With him, he brought two handguns. Heemeyer's friends stated that he had no relatives in the Granby-Grand Lake area. Heemeyer's brother Ken stated that he "would bend over backwards for anyone". [8], In addition to writings that he left on the wall of his shed, Heemeyer recorded a number of audio tapes explaining his motivation for the attack. Others offered different views. Keep writing. With no distance to gain speed to push the grader aside as before, Heemeyer was forced to plow ahead. Indeed, in the years after the rampage, Heemeyer became a controversial folk hero in certain circles, with some believing that he was a victim of a town government that didnt think twice about hurting a local business. The Gambles store has been rebuilt, but it took seven years for Casey Farrell, the owner, to do so. *Side note: he annoyingly says the word anyways quite frequently. Authorities later realized that every building that had been bulldozed had some connection to Heemeyer and his lengthy battle against the zoning committee. Destroyed In Seconds - Marvin John Heemeyer's Killdozer. He sued, and sued again. An anonymous friend of his stated that, If Marv was your friend, he was your best friend, but if he decided that he was your enemy, then he was your worst and most dangerous enemy.2 His rampage demonstrated this observation: one of his targets was the newspaper office, destroyed for merely printing opinions different than his on everything from legalized gambling to zoning. "Granby Bulldozer Rampage Revisited, Ten Years Later." He accused the city of costing him money. He had made three gun-ports, fitted for a [1] Onboard fans and an air conditioner were used to keep Heemeyer cool while driving and compressed air nozzles were fitted to blow dust away from the video cameras. The investigation also revealed that he hadn't planned to come out of it alive. [10], On June 4, 2004, Heemeyer drove his armored bulldozer through the wall of his former business, the concrete plant, the Town Hall, the office of the local newspaper that editorialized against him, the home of a former judge's widow, and a hardware store owned by another man Heemeyer named in a lawsuit, as well as others. [5] The sheriff's department also noted that eleven of the thirteen buildings Heemeyer bulldozed were occupied until moments before their destruction. Since then, members of the State Patrol revealed that to the contrary, the governor did consider authorizing an attack but ultimately decided against it due to the potential for collateral damage of a missile strike in the heart of Granby being significantly higher than what Heemeyer could have caused with his bulldozer. After the dust settled, authorities searched Heemeyers home and found notes and audio tapes that outlined his motivations. When Marvin Heemeyer made the decision June 4, 2004 to plow through Granby, toppling buildings, destroying vehicles then killing himself, he did so with much devastation for the town of Granby and the region. It was equipped with three semi-automatic rifles, and Heemeyer carried two sidearms, including a .357 Magnum that he used to commit suicide. It is my duty. Like it or not. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. As law enforcement swarmed the Killdozer, a single gunshot rang out. And the truth, too, is that in the minds of many others who know Heemeyer only through his internet legend, the truth just doesn't matter. Heemeyer had installed two rifles in firing ports on the inside of the bulldozer, and fired fifteen bullets from his rifle at power transformers and propane tanks. The indisputable truth is that Heemeyer destroyed a lot of public and private property that day he caused a reported $7 million in damage and could have killed several people, whether he intended to or not. 10 Widely Believed U.S. Government Conspiracy Theories. He then rolled into town, hitting homes and businesses that he reportedly felt wronged him during the zoning-and-concrete-factory fiasco. By Tape 3, Heemeyer is in full-blown rage as he continues to rant about his grievances and need for revenge. He also said it was God's plan that he not be married or have a family so that he could be in a position to carry out such an attack. "Basically, what all this is going to prove when it's all over with if it's ever all over with, which I doubt it's going to prove, I hope it's going to prove to people, that meddling in your neighbors' business is destructive for the most part," Heemeyer said on one of his pre-tankcapade recordings. Marvin Heemeyer Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family Then he tried to get an easement for a sewer line. The Killdozer Rampage. Marvin Heemeyer built a weapon to | by Josie [5] The sheriff's department also notes that 11 of the 13 buildings Heemeyer bulldozed were occupied until moments before their destruction. Gambles had been a hardware store with five employees. Heemeyer found himself at odds with others in the community, both in government and outside of it, after buying some land at auction (to, he says, at least one person's discontent). Just flat out wrong. In the early 1990s, he moved into Grand Lake, Colorado, bought a few acres of land for $42,000 in 1992,. However there were concerns about collateral damage from either military weapon. Marvin Heemeyer's 'killdozer' rampage in Colorado made headline news. But the idea, somehow, that Granby was sophisticated enough to launch this campaign to go get Marv really defies my imagination.". This is most assuredly how law enforcement and the great majority of Granby, CO residents saw him. Inside The Shocking Revenge Story Of Marvin Heemeyer And His Killdozer. Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post/Getty ImagesA destroyed truck was stuck inside the Mountain Parks Electric building after Marvin Heemeyers rampage. It's interesting how everyone lost. Marvin Heemeyer Born: 1952 Birthplace: Castlewood, SD Died: 4-Jun - 2004 Location of death: Granby, CO Cause of death: Suicide Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Criminal Nationality: United States Executive summary: Killdozer pilot Military service: USAF (1969) Marvin John Heemeyer (born in South Dakota, October 28,1951), a successful welder, owned two muffler shops named "Mountain View Muffler" in Granby and nearby Boulder, Colorado. Marvin Heemeyer had a vendetta against the small town of Granby Colorado and its government officials. Heemeyer initially agreed to sell the land to the Docheff family, but then backed out of the deal out after asking for more: The story of the batch plant also goes back to 1992, three years after Heemeyer had moved to the area. Over the years, he had agreed to sell the land to a concrete company to build a plant. ", http://www.francesfarmersrevenge.com/stuff/archive/oldnews5/rampages.htm, http://extras.denverpost.com/slideshows/dozer_slideshow.html, "Newly released audiotapes detail reasons for Granby bulldozer rampage", http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=49366, "Man Who Bulldozed Granby Says He Got Idea From God", http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/3697785/detail.html, "7NEWS Looks Inside Granby Work Shed Where 'Dozer Was Outfitted", http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/3394824/detail.html, Discovery Channel Destroyed in Seconds video, Site detailing Marvin Heemeyer's dispute with City Hall, Granby Damage, includes several pictures of the incident, Articles needing clarification from June 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Bulldozers with powerplants larger than 500kW, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Outraged over the outcome of a zoning dispute, he armored a Komatsu D355A bulldozer with layers of steel and concrete and used it on June 4, 2004, to demolish the town hall, the former mayor's house, and other buildings in Granby, Colorado. Marvin John Heemeyer (28 de outubro, 1951 - 4 de junho, 2004) foi um soldador e dono de uma oficina mecnica norte-americano que ficou conhecido pelo seu ataque de fria utilizando-se de um trator de esteira modificado. Granby also is like a lot of small towns in America in that it's a place where it's relatively easy to get to know people and for people to know you. Although there is some truth to this argument, it doesn't tell the entire story. He plowed down buildings with people still in them. In 2001, the zoning commission and the town's trustees approved the construction of a cement manufacturing plant.
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