The KILLDOZER Rampage

Marvin Heemeyer, better known as "Marv the Muffler Man," became a contentious figure in Granby, Colorado due to multiple disputes involving his muffler shop, local businesses, and authorities.

Heemeyer was a muffler shop owner known as "Marv the Muffler Man" in the small town of Granby, Colorado.

Marv Heemeyer, who set up the Mountain View muffler shop in Granby, was recognized as a skilled welder. Before opening his business, he worked in muffler shops and eventually decided to run his own. His troubles began when he was forced to connect his property to a sewer line to comply with regulations. Despite dumping sewage into a concrete mixer and an irrigation ditch for years without penalty, Heemeyer saw the requirement as the town forcing him to finance a public utility.

Heemeyer had a history of disputes with local businesses and authorities, particularly over a failed attempt to legalize gambling and issues with his muffler shop's sewer connections.

Heemeyer's conflicts in Granby emerged early on, starting with a clash with the local newspaper, Sky-High News, over a campaign to legalize gambling in Grand Lake. Heemeyer felt so strongly about the cause that he edited two editions of a newspaper to promote its benefits. Regarding his sewer connection, although the town had previously overlooked his non-compliance, he strongly objected to the costs of connecting to the public sewer line.

Heemeyer's ongoing feud with the Dochef family, owners of a concrete plant, was a major source of conflict.

The Dochef family, particularly Cody Dochef, wanted to expand their concrete factory and needed the land where Marv's shop was situated. Negotiations began with an agreed price of $250,000, but Heemeyer backed out, later demanding $400,000 to $450,000. Tensions between Heemeyer and Cody Dochef escalated to a confrontation in a restaurant. Heemeyer's grievances about the feud were recorded on audio tapes he sent to his brother. Although the Doche ...

Marvin Heemeyer is known for his extensive modification of a 60-ton Komatsu bulldozer, which he turned into a highly fortified machine he called the "Killdozer."

Heemeyer spent over a year secretly modifying a 60-ton Komatsu bulldozer, turning it into a heavily-armored, self-contained vehicle he dubbed the "Killdozer".

After purchasing a large Komatsu bulldozer at auction in California and having it shipped to him in July 2002, Heemeyer began a secret project in early 2003 that would last for over a year. His goal was to transform this bulldozer into a fortified machine, which involved considerable modifications.

Heemeyer reinforced the bulldozer with thick steel plating and concrete, added multiple gun ports, and equipped it with high-powered firearms.

Heemeyer created a superstructure for the bulldozer, using sheets of steel spaced about 12 inches apart and filling this space with concrete. He effectively made the bulldozer's armor 12 inches thick, comprising both steel and concrete. He added a significant amount of reinforcement, believed to be around 20 tons, to the original 60-ton Komatsu bulldozer.

He equipped the interior of the Killdozer with an array of firearms including a 50-caliber rifle, a .308 semi-automatic, a .22 long rifle, and a .357 revolver. To assist in navigation and targeting, Heemeyer installed five video cameras outside the vehicle, which fed images to three monitors inside the Killdozer. The lenses of these cameras were protected by three-inch thick Lexan bulletproof plastic. Gun ports were incorporated as part of the modification, and due to their small size, they made it difficult for law enforcement sharpshooters to target anyone inside, and even if they were able to get a shot in, the fortified structure made the shots ineffective.

Heemeyer worked primarily at night to maintain the secrecy of his project and was able to deceive an insurance adjuster into believing he was working ...

On June 4, 2004, the town of Granby faced a unique and destructive event when Marvin Heemeyer sealed himself inside a heavily modified bulldozer and went on a calculated rampage.

On June 4, 2004, Heemeyer sealed himself inside the Killdozer and embarked on a destructive rampage through Granby, targeting buildings and businesses associated with his conflicts.

The heavily fortified machine, known as the Killdozer, moved slowly but methodically through the town of Granby, with local law enforcement and emergency responders unable to stop or cause significant damage to it. Heemeyer, driving the Killdozer, targeted specific buildings and businesses associated with past personal conflicts, including Gamble's hardware store which belonged to a member of the town board implicated in the approval of a concrete plant he opposed.

Despite firing at various targets, including people like Cody Docheff and propane tanks, Heemeyer's shots were imprecise and failed to cause major explosions or casualties. His rampage continued as he moved through downtown Granby, with local law enforcement futilely firing approximately 200 rounds at the Killdozer's hardened steel exterior. Actions by Undersheriff Glenn Trainor, who climbed on top of the machine and tried to disable it, were equally ineffective due to the armored nature of the vehicle.

The rampage lasted over two hours, causing millions of dollars in damage to numerous buildings in the town center before the Killdozer became immobilized.

Heemeyer’s extensive destruction spanned over two hours, during which he inflicted millions of dollars in damages to Granby’s town center. One of the most harrowing moments included his driving into the town hall building, which also housed a library with children inside. Other targets such as the local Liberty bank branch and newspaper office were also devastated, with editor Patrick Brower escaping narrowly as his office collapsed.

The rampage ended w ...

The small town involved in the Killdozer incident began the arduous process of rebuilding and recovery after Marvin Heemeyer's destructive rampage. Despite the turmoil, the event has sparked a complex dialogue, leading to mixed opinions regarding Heemeyer’s intentions and actions.

In the end, Heemeyer took his own life inside the Killdozer, and the town began the process of rebuilding and recovering from the destruction.

After bringing the Killdozer to a halt, the sound of a muffled gunshot indicated that Heemeyer had likely ended his own life inside the machine. The SWAT team's attempts to breach the armored bulldozer were fruitless, as the explosive charges were not strong enough to penetrate its defenses. Miraculously, no one else was killed or injured during the two-hour-long rampage, which resulted in up to $7 million in damage.

Despite the significant material damage, no one else was killed or seriously injured during Heemeyer's rampage, which was seen by some as a testament to the town's resilience.

Eleven of the thirteen buildings that Heemeyer targeted were occupied, with people fleeing them in panic. Despite this, the town dismantled the Killdozer, scattering its pieces to ensure the memory of the machine itself would not overshadow the community’s resolve.

The Killdozer incident has become a controversial and debated event, with some viewing Heemeyer as a "folk hero" protesting against perceived injustices, while others condemn his actions as an act of domestic terrorism.

Casey Ferrell, the hardware store owner, grappled with financial challenges due to the rampage, as the costs of rebuilding were not entirely covered by insurance. However, a year after the destruction, much of the town began the rebuilding process. The mayor at the time, Ted Wang, observed that the incident brought the community closer and increased involvement in local politics.

The town's efforts to move on from t ...