In addition to the properties, Heemeyer also listed several names, including the mayor and several local business owners. Although this list did not carry a label such as "targets" or "enemies," it did list thirteen of the buildings that were damaged by his bulldozer. Investigators also found a list Heemeyer had written before the attack. Here's an image of one of the gunports inside of the killdozer: At the town library, for example, a children's program was in progress when the incident began. That included 12 police officers and residents of a senior citizens complex.Īs well, the sheriff notes that 11 of the 13 buildings that Heemeyer bulldozed were occupied until just moments before the destruction. "Had these tanks ruptured and exploded, anyone within one-half mile of the explosion could have been endangered," said the sheriff's department. 50-BMG rifle at power transformers and propane tanks. Later, Heemeyer fired on two state troopers before they had fired. He fired many bullets from his semi-automatic rifle at Cody Docheff when Docheff tried to stop the assault on his concrete batch plant by using a front-end loader. But the sheriff's department argues that the fact nobody got hurt was more luck than intent. Meanwhile, early defenders of Heemeyer contended he made a point of not hurting anybody during his bulldozer rampage. Heemeyer's homemade tank also had two gunports which he allegedly used to shoot at power transformers and propane tanks: The sheriff's department argued that the town was lucky that nobody was killed, considering that eleven of the 13 buildings were occupied moments before they were destroyed by the "killdozer". Although it's true that nobody, other than Heemeyer, was killed during the incident, it wasn't from lack of trying. However, Heemeyer was armed, fired at propane tanks, and destroyed buildings that were occupied in the moments before the attack.Īccording to the "folk hero" version of Killdozer Day, Heemeyer only attacked buildings, not people, owned by those who had done him wrong, and made an effort not to harm any of the town's general population or property. "He probably set you up to say no' just so he could get mad at you." "I just think he set things up to the point where you would have to say no.'" said Susie Docheff in an interview with the Sky-Hi News. All of this was well before the rezoning proposal hit town hall. They agreed, but then he wanted $375,000 and at some later point wanted a deal worth approximately $1 million. He bought the two acres for $42,000 but later agreed to sell it to the Docheff family, which wanted the property for a concrete batch plant, for $250,000. 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. The story of the batch plant also goes back to 1992, three years after Heemeyer had moved to the area. Heemeyer initially agreed to sell the land to the Docheff family, but then backed out of the deal out after asking for more: In 1992, before the city rezoned the land to allow the construction of a concrete factory, Heemeyer was offered $250,000 for his land. Although there is some truth to this argument, it doesn't tell the entire story. Many people considered Heemeyer to be a the victim of a careless and indifferent government that approved the construction of a concrete factory with no regard to how it would affect Heemeyer's business at the muffler shop. However, this text omits a few key details in order to paint Heemeyer as the "last great American folk hero." Marvin Heemeyer did use a " killdozer" to exact revenge on the city of Granby, Colorado, after a concrete factory was allowed to be built across the street from his muffler shop: The story as related above is largely accurate. Was Marvin Heemeyer a hero? A patriot? In certain circles, 4 June marks the anniversary of "Killdozer Day," a 2004 rampage in the city of Granby, Colorado, that damaged more than a dozen buildings and left one person (Heemeyer) dead.Ī viral Facebook post explains why some people feel that Heemeyer was a folk hero:
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