The June 4, 2004, bulldozer attack was a watershed moment for the town of Granby that changed the community forever. Courtesy photo
Thursday marks the 22nd anniversary of a bulldozer rampage in Granby. The mayhem was carried out on June 4, 2004 in an armored Komatsu D355A built and operated by Marvin Heemeyer, a local snowmobile enthusiast and business owner.
Several buildings were damaged in the chaotic attack, including the Sky-Hi News office, a bank, a hardware store, a concrete company, a utility service center, the town hall, the police department and a former mayor’s home. Heemeyer targeted those he felt had treated him unjustly in an ongoing zoning dispute at his commercial property.
Granby rebuilt itself after Heemeyer’s day of infamy as the town came together to construct a new library, town hall and several other buildings. The Sky-Hi News office was also rebuilt, although the company moved to Tabernash this year.
Read past Sky-Hi News coverage of the bulldozer attack below:
Recently retired Fraser Winter Park Police Chief Glen Trainor was the Grand County undersheriff at the time of the attack on June 4, 2004. He climbed on top of the bulldozer to try and stop it. He believes the attack was an act of domestic terrorism. Sky-Hi News archive photo
Grand County Undersheriff Glen Trainor bravely perches on the top of the armored bulldozer June 4, 2004. Courtesy photo
Recently retired Fraser Winter Park Police Chief Glen Trainor was the Grand County undersheriff at the time of the attack on June 4, 2004. He climbed on top of the bulldozer to try and stop it. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Granby community members stand atop a hill above the Gambles hardware store, where the bulldozer got stuck in the building’s foundation, ending the rampage June 4, 2004. Courtesy photo
The June 4, 2004, bulldozer attack became a watershed moment for Granby. There was a massive law enforcement response with agencies from the Front Range, the Western Slope and the state all deployed to help. Courtesy photo
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The destroyed Sky-Hi News office and pressroom is pictured following the bulldozer attack that took place June 4, 2004, in downtown Granby. The office sustained $500,000 in damage, according to Publisher and Editor Patrick Brower, and cost $770,000 to rebuild. Courtesy photo
An Xcel Energy truck that was crushed by the bulldozer is pictured in the aftermath of the attack. Courtesy photo
Granby’s former town hall, destroyed June 4, 2004, by Marvin Heemeyer’s bulldozer. Jean Landes/Sky-Hi News archive photo
The store Gambles was completely destroyed during the bulldozer attack in 2004. Thirteen buildings were hit in the attack along the main street in downtown Granby. Courtesy photo
Moments before town hall was destroyed there were children in the building enjoying storytime. Librarian Tess Riley and town staff safely evacuated the children. This photo depicts some of the aftermath the bulldozer inflicted on the building and police vehicles. Grand County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy photo
Moments before town hall was destroyed there were children in the building enjoying storytime. Librarian Tess Riley and town staff safely evacuated the children. This photo depicts some of the aftermath the bulldozer inflicted on the building, which was near a playground. Grand County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy photo
The vehicle of then-Grand County’s Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Glen Trainor is pictured after it was destroyed by the bulldozer. Courtesy photo
A hole in the side of a warehouse at The Trash Co. shows where the bulldozer was driven out of the building in which it was built. The perpetrator rented the building from the business owner. Courtesy photo
A large-caliber rifle protrudes from a port in the bulldozer. Grand County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy photo
Bullet holes are pictured in the bucket of a front-end loader that the business owner used to try to stop the bulldozer. Courtesy photo
One of three guns mounted inside the bulldozer. Grand County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy photo
A local business owner points to a bullet hole that struck the bucket of the front-end loader he was using to try and stop the bulldozer June 4, 2004. Grand County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy photo
Some of the weapons and other items retrieved after authorities gained access to the inside of the disabled bulldozer. Grand County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy photo
The armed bulldozer gets towed away from downtown Granby as onlookers watch. Grand County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy photo
Town of Granby employees Deb Hess, Sharon Spurlin, Cindy Seader and Julie Martin were all at work in the old town hall at the time of the attack in 2004. Byron Hetzler/bhetzler@skyhidailynews.com | Sky-Hi News
Fraser Winter Park Police Chief Glen Trainor announced he will retire on June. 1 Byron Hetzler/bhetzler@skyhidailynews.com | Sky-Hi News
Patrick Brower was the editor and publisher of the Sky-Hi News in 2004. Byron Hetzler/bhetzler@skyhidailynews.com | Sky-Hi News
Patrick Brower’s book “Killdozer: The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer Rampage” is currently available at the Sky-Hi News office in Granby. Meg Soyars Van Hauen/Sky-Hi News
Killdozer 2.0, built to the specs by YouTuber Cody Detwiler, rolls over a vehicle at his property in Tennessee. WhistlinDiesel/Courtesy
YouTuber Cody Detwiler of WhistlinDiesel holds the alleged hatch of the original Killdozer that he brought for $5000. Over the years, Heemeyer has developed a cult following. WhistlinDiesel/Courtesy
Marvin Heeymeyer, October 28, 1951 – June 4, 2004 Courtesy
Marvin Heemeyer, October 28, 1951 – June 4, 2004 Courtesy
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