Caldwell, Alicia. 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. I am going to sacrifice my life, my miserable future that you gave me, to show you that what you did is wrong. 1 September 2004. Somehow during the past 17 years since, Heemeyer has become a legend of sorts. Despite the great damage to property, no one besides Heemeyer was killed. [1] Compressed-air nozzles were fitted to blow dust away from the video cameras.[1]. "Somehow their vision was clouded", he wrote. At approximately 2:00 p.m. on June 4, 2004, Marvin Heemeyer completed his Killdozer. As a last measure, Heemeyer petitioned the city with his neighbors and friends, but to no avail. "After Bulldozer Rampage, Town Strives to Rebuild Trust." Your email address will not be published. Much of Heemeyers rampage was televised nationally (LINK), and he was almost immediately hailed as patriot and hero by far-right anti-government groups. It all depends on who you ask. 29 July 2009. And for those who know who Heemeyer is, that divide is pretty polarizing. If you enjoyed this blog post, check out my mystery/crime/thriller novel The Missing. This was later detailed in a series of tape recordings made the following year. [10][11] According to Grand County commissioner James Newberry, emergency dispatchers used the reverse 911 emergency system to notify many residents and property owners of the rampage going on in the town. Marvin Heemeyer. [2] According to a neighbor, Heemeyer moved to town over 10 years prior to the incident. 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) First, he flattened a couple buildings at a close-by concrete batch plant that he had complained about to the town council. The radiator of the bulldozer had been damaged, and the engine was leaking various fluids. On his list of targets were: the bank, the electric company, the newspaper, a construction company, the police station, the former mayors home, the town hall, the library, and the hardware store. "God blessed me in advance for the task that I am about to undertake. He did $7 million dollars in damage. Definitely, what a great blog and revealing posts, I definitely will bookmark your site. And as the saying goes the love of money is the root of all evil.3. At the town library, for example, a children's program was in progress when the incident began. But here's where the story gets weird (as if it isn't weird already). I think he was largely delusional. The most famous phrase attributed to Heemeyer is, I was always willing to be reasonable until I had to be unreasonable. "It's really a mix between that and just a service town," with a couple of banks, a concrete plant, an electrical co-op and many businesses that cater to the tourism industry. The destruction he caused amounted to $7 million in damages. Required fields are marked *. [1], Afterwards, the modified bulldozer came to be known as "Killdozer", although only Heemeyer was killed in the incident. When Marvin Heemeyer of Granby, Colorado, reached a dead-end in his fight with the local zoning commission, the logical response would have been to petition them once again and await a future reply from them. He was convinced judges and attorneys were in cahoots. He believed that the citizens of Granby were distrusting and malicious towards outsiders, himself included. On June 4, 2004, Heemeyer used the bulldozer to demolish the Granby town hall, the house of a former mayor, and several other buildings. He lived in Grand Lake, Colorado, but he moved to town 10 years before the incident, according to his neighbor. Like it or not. Heemeyer had bought a bulldozer two years before the incident with the intention of using it to build an alternative route to his muffler shop, but city officials rejected his request to build the road. "Had they not meddled in my business," Heemeyer pronounced in his pre-rampage manifesto, "this whole thing would have turned out completely different.". "I think God will bless me to get the machine done, to drive it, to do the stuff that I have to do", he said. This is the shocking true story of Marvin Heemeyers revenge. It was equipped with three semi-automatic rifles, and Heemeyer carried two sidearms, including a .357 Magnum that he used to commit suicide. Using a remote controlled crane to lift the final piece of armor on, he sealed himself inside for the rest of his life. All told, 13 buildings and dozens of cars were decimated before Heemeyer was stopped. Heemeyer rammed the 20-cubic-yard blade of his "MK Tank" into several town buildings, including the municipal center. However, some of Heemeyer's other victims are harder to justify. Some believe this negotiation happened before the rezoning proposal was heard by the town council.[5]. Onboard fans and an air conditioner were used to keep Heemeyer cool while driving. After the dust settled, authorities searched Heemeyers home and found notes and audio tapes that outlined his motivations. His Killdozer, that had once been 49 tons, now weighed 61.5 tons and would no longer fit through the bay door so he drove it through the side of the garage. They begin with various ramblings about how he came to Granby and his past work experiences at muffler shops he formerly owned. Such a panic ensued that the governor considered authorizing the National Guard to attack with Apache helicopters and an anti-tank missile. [3], John Bauldree, a friend of Heemeyer, said that Heemeyer was an enjoyable person. This sparked terror among the communitys 1500 residents. It's interesting how everyone lost. Another argument for Heemeyer's folk hero status is that he only targeted those who had wronged him. 6 June 2014. 16 September 2021. By Tape 3, Heemeyer is in full-blown rage as he continues to rant about his grievances and need for revenge. [13], "Had these tanks ruptured and exploded, anyone within one-half mile (800m) of the explosion could have been endangered", the sheriff's department said. Over about eighteen months, Heemeyer had secretly armored a Komatsu D355A bulldozer with layers of steel and concrete. said Susie Docheff in an interview with the Sky-Hi News. Heemeyer was surprised that several men who had visited the shed late the previous year did not discover the modified bulldozer, "especially with the 2,000 lb. Hed created the armor himself, using a concrete mix poured between sheets of steel. It's interesting how Ron Thompson died prematurely shortly after PDO . Damn Interesting. [4], In 1992, Heemeyer purchased 2 acres (0.8ha) of land from the Resolution Trust Corporation, the federal agency organized to handle the assets of failed savings and loan associations, for $42,000 to build a muffler shop. The whole ugly Friday is recounted in Brower's book, "Killdozer: The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer Rampage," and it's the subject of a 2020 documentary, now available on Netflix, called "Tread." While some described him as cheerful, polite, and a wonderful man, others had a much different opinion of Heemeyer remembering him as argumentative, antagonistic, and combative. "Dick" Thompson. ", 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. He was armed with several weapons, attempted to shoot at least one civilian, and fired several shots at propane tanks in an attempt to create an explosion. [12] The bulldozer also knocked out natural gas service to City Hall and the cement plant, and damaged a truck and part of a utility service center. Although there is some truth to this argument, it doesn't tell the entire story. 4 4 tape 2 side b 31:17. The machine it was air-conditioned, by the way also was equipped with several outside cameras so that he could see his surroundings while hunkering down in the cockpit. "Granby Bulldozer Rampage Revisited, Ten Years Later." "I'm happy being the person that kind of wants to dissuade people's perception of it," Brower says now. Keep writing. [1], Heemeyer lived in Grand Lake, Colorado, about 16 miles (26km) away from Granby. After two hours and seven minutes, Heemeyer had bulldozed every business or home that had some connection to his case against the zoning committee. Its not that I dont feel safe, but its changed the way that you look at people, at stuff, he said. Investigators searched the garage where they believe Heemeyer built the vehicle and found cement, armor and steel. ", Investigators later found Heemeyer's handwritten list of targets. In this view, Heemeyer is a hero. Heemeyer also destroyed patrol cars, service trucks, and at least one pickup truck. Over a period of 90 minutes, police watched helplessly as Heemeyer proved unstoppable. Attempts to disable the bulldozer's cameras with gunfire failed as the bullets were unable to penetrate the 3-inch bullet-resistant plastic. The attack lasted for two hours and seven minutes, damaging 13 buildings, knocking out natural gas service to city hall and the concrete plant, damaging a truck, and destroying part of a utility service center. [5] The sheriff's department also noted that eleven of the thirteen buildings Heemeyer bulldozed were occupied until moments before their destruction. Looking forward to reading more. He had made three gun-ports, fitted for a All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. Grand County Emergency Management Director Jim Holahan stated that authorities were able to access and remove Heemeyer's body at 2 a.m. on June 5. He could have done whatever he wanted, hung out in his hot tub and gone snowmobiling and enjoyed life. [3], John Bauldree, a friend of Heemeyer's, said that he was a likable person. This made the machine impervious to small arms fire and resistant to explosives; three external explosions and over 200 rounds of firearm ammunition fired at the bulldozer had no effect on it. Really looking forward to gaining access to more. As luck would have it, the hardware store had a basement and the Killdozer fell inside becoming hopelessly stuck. He was surprised that several men, who had visited the shed late the previous year, had not noticed the modified bulldozer "especially with the 2,000-pound [910kg] lift fully exposed somehow their vision was clouded".[8]. Born: 1952Birthplace: Castlewood, SDDied: 4-Jun-2004Location of death: Granby, COCause of death: Suicide, Gender: MaleRace or Ethnicity: WhiteSexual orientation: StraightOccupation: Criminal, Nationality: United StatesExecutive summary: Killdozer pilot. A ton of videos of that day, too, are available online, many of them containing archival news footage of the rampage. Ultimately Im just grateful youre here reading my content, but if youd like to say thanks back, you can buy me a coffee . He bought the land for $42,000 to build a muffler shop and subsequently agreed to sell the land to a concrete company owned by the Docheff family to build a concrete batch plant. 6 6 tape 3 side b 06:41. [1] Ian Daugherty, a bakery owner, said Heemeyer "went out of his way" not to harm anyone. Inside the makeshift cockpit were two monitors on which Heemeyer could observe his destruction. 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. At the town library, for example, a children's program was in progress when the incident began. In rampage of revenge spanning over two hours,. He joined the Air Force in 1971, during which time he had his first introduction to the state of Colorado while stationed there. According to the police, it included the buildings he destroyed, the local Catholic church (which he did not damage), and the names of various people who had sided against him in past disputes. Heemeyer had feuded with Granby town officials, particularly over fines for violating city health ordinances after he purchased property with no sewage system. [5] There might have been casualties if local emergency response hadn't worked so effectively. At 6 feet tall and about 230 pounds, Marvin Heemeyer was, in many ways, ill-suited for the role of David. Marvin John Heemeyer (October 28, 1951 - June 4, 2004) was an American automobile muffler repair shop owner who, following a dispute with town officials, demolished numerous buildings with a modified bulldozer in Granby, Colorado, on June 4, 2004. He petitioned the city to have the property rezoned to prevent the construction of the plant, but he was rejected on multiple occasions. Indeed, the rounds fired at the tractor during the rampage had no ill effect. 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. Patrick Brower, an editor who worked at the newsroom destroyed by Heemeyer, argued that he should not be held up as a hero, folk or otherwise: "Ive seen that the way people have venerated Marv and praised him after the fact -- without even really knowing what happened or the facts of the situation -- has been repeated in many other rampages and tragedies in America since then, he says.
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