The man who built a steel fortress to destroy a town
In short: In 2004, a Colorado welder turned a Komatsu bulldozer into an impenetrable armored tank. Driven by years of bitter disputes with local officials and neighbors, Marvin Heemeyer launched a destructive rampage that left several buildings in ruins, but left no one else injured or killed.
Marvin Heemeyer's transformation of a Komatsu D355A bulldozer into what supporters called the "Killdozer" was a secretive, 1.5-year project. Working from a shed where he had illegally constructed living quarters, Heemeyer used layers of steel and concrete to create makeshift composite armor. He even outfitted the machine with video cameras protected by 3-inch (7.6 cm) polycarbonate shields and compressed-air nozzles to keep the lenses clear of dust. He referred to this custom creation as the MK Tank. This project was carried out using a 2,000-pound lift.
The motivation for the attack stemmed from a decade of escalating conflicts in Granby, Colorado. Heemeyer was embroiled in disputes over zoning rules, sewage requirements, and a failed attempt to block a local concrete plant. He had even drafted a handwritten list of 107 people he believed had wronged him, with the Docheff family—who had been involved in land negotiations with him—at the top of the list. He had previously campaigned for gambling legalisation. He even published his own newspaper to support this cause.
On June 4, 2004, Heemeyer used the armored machine in a vehicle-ramming attack, demolishing the Granby town hall, a former mayor's house, and several other structures. The bulldozer eventually became stuck in the debris of a hardware store, at which point Heemeyer killed himself. Despite the machine's destruction of multiple buildings, the attack resulted in no other injuries or fatalities. Investigators later found that the armor was so effective that more than 200 rounds of ammunition and three external explosions had failed to penetrate it. The vehicle was equipped with three rifles and several handguns. He also carried enough food and water to last one week.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Marvin Heemeyer
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