Killdozer (bulldozer)
Killdozer has been used as a nickname for the
armored
bulldozer constructed by
Marvin Heemeyer and used to demolish a significant portion of
Granby, Colorado in the
United States of America on
June 4,
2004. There is no evidence that Heemeyer ever planned to name his creation. The name originally came a from
1944 short story by
Theodore Sturgeon that was later made into a
film.
Heemeyer's Killdozer was a
Komatsu D335A bulldozer (some sources say it was a
Caterpillar D9, but local newspapers are specific on the model) fitted with makeshift armor plating covering the cabin,
engine and parts of the
tracks. This made the machine impervious to
small arms fire and resistant to
explosives; three external explosions and over 200 rounds of firearm
ammunition fired at the Killdozer had no effect on it.
In places, the vehicle's armor was over one
foot thick, consisting of
concrete sandwiched between sheets of
steel to make ad-hoc
composite armor.
For visibility, Killdozer was fitted with three
video cameras linked to
monitors mounted on the vehicle's dashboard.
Onboard fans were used to keep Heemeyer cool while driving and compressed air nozzles were fitted to blow dust away from the video cameras. Food, water and
life support were present in the almost airtight cabin. Heemeyer had no intention of ever leaving the cabin once he entered; the hatch was permanently sealed.
Killdozer was stopped by the failure of a
radiator. As soon as Killdozer came to a halt, Heemeyer committed suicide with a pistol he had brought into the cabin specifically for that purpose. His body was subsequently removed by police with a crane. Despite the great damage to property (13 buildings were destroyed,
most requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars to be replaced), no one besides Heemeyer was injured; observers noted that Heemeyer appeared to go out of his way to avoid injury to bystanders.
On
April 19,
2005, it was announced that Killdozer was being taken apart for
scrap metal.
Individual pieces of Killdozer would be dispersed to many separate scrap yards to prevent admirers of Heemeyer from taking souvenirs.
*
CBS4: Bulldozer Rampage Ends In Granby*
Granby Damage, includes several pictures of the incident
