Killdozer
Killdozer is the name commonly used for the 4 June 2004 bulldozer rampage in Granby, Colorado, carried out by Marvin Heemeyer in a heavily armored Komatsu D355A bulldozer.
Killdozer is the name for the 4 June 2004 bulldozer rampage in Granby, Colorado, carried out by Marvin Heemeyer. He used an armored Komatsu D355A bulldozer to destroy multiple buildings, causing millions in damage, before dying by suicide.
What it is
The Killdozer incident involved a heavily modified bulldozer that Heemeyer had armored with steel and concrete. He drove it through Granby, damaging 13 buildings including the town hall, a bank, and a newspaper office. The rampage lasted about two hours and ended when the vehicle became stuck near a hardware store.
Key details
Heemeyer acted after disputes with local officials and businesses. He died by suicide inside the bulldozer after it was immobilized. No other people were killed or injured, in part because residents were evacuated. The damage was estimated between US$5 million and US$7 million.
Legacy
The event drew broad news coverage and later documentaries. It is often cited as one of the most unusual acts of property destruction in recent US crime history. In Canada, the incident is occasionally covered in media and true-crime programming as an unusual example of a rampage involving property destruction rather than mass casualties.
In short
- Marvin Heemeyer used an armored bulldozer to destroy 13 buildings in Granby, Colorado.
- No bystanders were killed or injured.
- Heemeyer died by suicide after the bulldozer became stuck.
- The incident is widely known as the Killdozer rampage.
The incident is occasionally covered in Canadian media and true-crime programming as an unusual example of a U.S. rampage involving property destruction rather than mass casualties.[1]
Quick questions
Who carried out the Killdozer incident?
How many buildings were damaged?
Were any bystanders killed?
Sources
- KUNC — https://www.kunc.org/news/2020-02-20/granbys-bulldozer-rampage-captured-the-worlds-attention-now-its-a-documentarySupports: Identifies the event as the 2004 Granby bulldozer rampage, describes Heemeyer using an armored bulldozer, and notes the self-inflicted gunshot wound.
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KilldozerSupports: Provides the date, sequence of destruction, no other casualties, and the vehicle ending stuck in a hardware store.
- Denver7 — https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/killdozer-20-years-later-how-and-why-a-man-went-on-a-rampage-through-granby-in-an-armored-bulldozerSupports: States the incident date, the armored bulldozer, 13 buildings destroyed, and damage exceeding $5 million.
- Sky-Hi News — https://www.skyhinews.com/news/photos-killdozer-rampage-marks-22nd-anniversary/Supports: Gives the rampage date, vehicle model, ending when it became stuck, Heemeyer’s suicide, and damage near $7 million.
- HowStuffWorks — https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/killdozer.htmSupports: Summarizes the rampage, the number of buildings demolished, and that no one was killed except Heemeyer.