Over the next two years, he fortified the bulldozer, armoring it with concrete sandwiched between half-inch thick steel plates. "There was a woman talking on the local radio station as Marv was going through town she was sitting there saying, 'Marv is just a gentle giant, he's a teddy bear of a guy, he would only hurt people who hurt him ' It's just galling. The frustration and downright malice is evident in his voice (and coarse language) every time he talks about people he has a grievance with. 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. Not realizing Heemeyers rage and determination, one of the concrete plants heavy equipment operators tried to block the road to Heemeyers escape. "But I can tell you that the vast majority of comments that I get, either on my blog or anonymously through email or whatever, are that I'm a SOB, that I'm an a******, all kinds of negative language. Inside the makeshift cockpit were two monitors on which Heemeyer could observe his destruction. Father: (d. 31-Mar-2004)Brother: Ken HeemeyerBrother: Donald HeemeyerGirlfriend: (broken engagement), Road Rage Reckless Driving Shot: Self-Inflicted (4-Jun-2004) Risk Factors: Depression, Do you know something we don't? Hi there! 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. Heemeyer had no intention of leaving the cabin once he entered; the hatch was permanently sealed. Boy I think theres something you should learn here:For as good as a man can be, also can he be as bad. Heemeyer also destroyed patrol cars, service trucks, and at least one pickup truck. When his killdozer was finished, he readied himself for his attack. The tapes contained two separate recordings on each side for a total of six recordings. After two hours and seven minutes, Heemeyer had bulldozed every business or home that had some connection to his case against the zoning committee. [1] Authorities speculated Heemeyer may have used a homemade crane found in his garage to lower the armor hull over the dozer and himself. This made the machine impervious to small arms fire and resistant to explosives. 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. Its not my fault. 3 3 tape 2 side a 31:29. Heemeyer's brother turned the tapes over to the FBI, who in turn sent them to the Grand County Sheriff's Department. Mountain Town News. 6 6 tape 3 side b 06:41. On June 4, 2004, frustrated over a failed zoning dispute, Heemeyer plowed his homemade armored bulldozer into the town hall, a former mayor's home and other buildings in small-town Granby, Colorado. [3], John Bauldree, a friend of Heemeyer's, said that he was a likable person. Heemeyer then killed himself with a handgun. But the sheriff's department argues that the fact nobody got hurt was more luck than intent. The rampage ended when the bulldozer got stuck in the basement of a building he had previously destroyed. 1 1 tape 1 side a 31:12. It's interesting how everyone lost. It is my duty. A buisness owner that had the city infringe on his rights, Heemeyer stood up to a corrupt government and showed them that he isn't weak, and that the people of America should stand up for what's right. Though not his original plan, he eventually built another muffler shop on his new property. Over about eighteen months, Heemeyer had secretly armored a Komatsu D355A bulldozer with layers of steel and concrete. As well, the sheriff notes that 11 of the 13 buildings that Heemeyer bulldozed were occupied until just moments before the destruction. He would frequently admit I dont even remember anymore. His own story was such a convoluted twisting of reality that even he couldnt keep it straight. "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! About a minute later, a single gunshot was heard, and it was later discovered that Heemeyer had shot himself in the head with a .357-calibre handgun. Destroyed In Seconds - Marvin John Heemeyer's Killdozer. Heemeyer also speaks frequently about God that God prepared him for this task; that perhaps even God planned it before he was born. He petitioned the city to have the property rezoned to prevent the construction of the plant, but he was rejected on multiple occasions. [5] There might have been casualties if local emergency response hadn't worked so effectively. This is most assuredly how law enforcement and the great majority of Granby, CO residents saw him. "The idea somehow that Marv didn't want to hurt anybody is absolutely absurd," Brower says. He also told a strange story of confronting the brother of one of his deceased neighbors and demanding $300,000 as restitution for a perceived grievance. Heemeyer had feuded with Granby town officials, particularly over fines for . He aimed his guns at propane tanks and fired, apparently trying to set off a major explosion (with what could have been a great loss of life). In addition to the frustration engendered by this dispute over access, Heemeyer was fined $2,500 by the Granby government for various violations, including "junk cars on the property and not being hooked up to the sewer line". [2] However, he was forced to jump off to avoid being hit with debris. Notes found by investigators after the rampage indicate that the primary motivation for Heemeyer's bulldozer rampage was his fight to stop a concrete plant from being built near his shop. great post. Also on his hit-list was a Catholic church as well as several named individuals. Much obliged. The final tape is unintelligible due to very poor audio quality. [5] The sheriff's department also notes that 11 of the 13 buildings Heemeyer bulldozed were occupied until moments before their destruction. 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." The cameras were protected on the outside by 3-inch (76mm) shields of clear bulletproof lexan. Best, Allen. Others gathered in the streets to watch the odd spectacle. Was Marvin Heemeyer a hero? Due to the steep price-hike, Mountain Park Concrete back out of the deal. [citation needed], Heemeyer's body was subsequently removed by police with a crane, though it took twelve hours for them to cut through the hatch with an oxyacetylene cutting torch. Police, concerned for the safety of innocent folks, considered extreme military weapons to stop him. [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. Its a literal miracle that no one was injured or killed by Heemeyer. 5 5 tape 3 side a 31:29. *Side note: he annoyingly says the word anyways quite frequently. The cameras were protected on the outside by 3-inch shields of bullet-resistant plastic. [1] Its in Gods hands. Heemeyer's brother Ken stated that he "would bend over backwards for anyone". 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. He was happy, snowmobiling with his friends, hot-tubbing at his cabin and working hard at his shop. A viral Facebook post explainswhy some people feel that Heemeyer was a folk hero: The story as related above is largely accurate. Heemeyer had shot himself. Somehow during the past 17 years since, Heemeyer has become a legend of sorts. "God blessed me in advance for the task that I am about to undertake. Embittered by this time against both the city and the concrete plant, Heemeyer balked. The government should fear their people, the people should not fear their government. Instead, Marvin Heemeyer went home, outfitted his Komatsu D355A bulldozer with armored plates, a layer of concrete, and bulletproof plastic, and drove it through the town in a rampage, knocking down 13 buildings and causing $7 million worth of damage with his makeshift killdozer.. Marvin Heemeyer built a tank and destroyed thirteen buildings (including a library which was occupied by children moments before the walls came down, and the home of an 82-year-old widow) simply because he lost a zoning dispute. And the only person you have to blame is yourself. He hoped future generations of Granby residents would be wiser and and more loving because of his attack. Now do you have the courage to stand up. [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. 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. With no distance to gain speed to push the grader aside as before, Heemeyer was forced to plow ahead. 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. Although there is some truth to this argument, it doesn't tell the entire story. Its not that I dont feel safe, but its changed the way that you look at people, at stuff, he said. Governor Bill Owens allegedly considered authorizing the National Guard to use either an Apache attack helicopter equipped with a Hellfire missile or a two-man fire team equipped with a Javelin anti-tank missile to destroy the bulldozer. He subsequently agreed to sell the land to Cody Docheff to build a concrete batch plant, Mountain Park Concrete, for $250,000. But beyond the physical changes, theres a mental change in the minds of Farrell and others. Inside The Eerie 'Lead Masks Case' That's Gone Unsolved For More Than 50 Years, Scientists Observe Chimps Treating Their Wounds With Bugs In Historic First, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Craig F. Walker/The Denver Post/Getty Images. Its difficult to find educated people about this topic, but you seem like you know what youre talking about! 5 June 2004. [16], On April 19, 2005, the town announced plans to scrap Heemeyer's bulldozer. To prevent Granby from becoming a Mecca to these groups, the Killdozer was cut up and its parts scattered at several different scrap yards. After the dust settled, authorities searched Heemeyers home and found notes and audio tapes that outlined his motivations. Tread: Directed by Paul Solet. His cockpit fully encloed, he wired an ingenious network of cameras so he could see outside via a pair of old televisions. Heemeyer also fired 15 bullets from his .50-BMG rifle at power transformers and propane tanks. The bulldozer became stuck. Heemeyerspent more than a year building his "killdozer" and planning his attack on the town of Granby, an act he felt was in accordance with God's will: "God blessed me in advance for the task that I am about to undertake. And June 4, 2004, Heemeyer took that tank to the streets of Granby to exact his revenge. Thanks. At one point during the rampage, Undersheriff Glenn Trainor managed to climb atop the bulldozer and rode the bulldozer "like a bronc-buster, trying to figure out a way to get a bullet inside the dragon". He mailed these to his brother in South Dakota shortly before stepping into his bulldozer.[18]. "'Something snapped': Suspect called emotional, angry over rezoning fight". Equipped with a 410hp engine, Heemeyer, sometimes moving as fast as 7mph, smashed over and over into the concrete plant. The Denver Channel. Indeed, the rounds fired at the tractor during the rampage had no ill effect. Heemeyer bought his two acres from the Resolution Trust Corp., the federal agency set up to handle the assets of failed savings and loan institutions. He was born in 1951 in South Dakota. Craig F. Walker/The Denver Post via Getty Images, Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security, the author of a book on Heemeyer and his tank, on recordings that he made in the weeks before he embarked on his tankcapade, Killdozer: The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer Rampage. "I just think he set things up to the point where you would have to say no.'" By Tape 3, Heemeyer is in full-blown rage as he continues to rant about his grievances and need for revenge. [1], Heemeyer lived in Grand Lake, Colorado, about 16 miles (26km) away from Granby. [13] Despite the great damage to property, no one besides Heemeyer was killed. However, while many people described Heemeyer as an affable person, local resident Christie Baker claimed that her husband was threatened by Heemeyer after refusing to pay for a disputed muffler repair.
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