Sandy Schmidt

Residency

• 2004: Grand County
• 2024: Grand County

What do you remember from that day?

While out in the yard, I could hear repeating popping sounds coming from the direction of the high school. It was during the final days of the school year. I imagined that seniors were celebrating by shooting off firecrackers or something of the sort. Curiously, the popping sounds did not cease immediately as they would with fireworks. Next, I heard the sound of emergency sirens coming from downtown. My curiosity led me to drive a few blocks over to the edge of the mesa overlooking Granby Town Hall and the library.

---

---

There, I found Gary Redfield parked in his truck. Gary rolled down his window and told me, “Get back from the edge of the hill! The bullets can reach up here!” He proceeded to explain what was going on. Gary was viewing the situation in preparation for what was to become his live, daylong radio coverage of the situation on our local radio station. As I continued to look down on the library, I saw women and small children frantically running out of a back entrance of the library, scattering in all directions seeking safety. From that vantage point, I could not see that the bulldozer was in the process of demolishing the opposite corner of the building.

Once I realized the seriousness of the situation, I jumped into fight-or-flight mode. I retreated to my rental property, assuming that it was a safer location, and tuned in to the radio station. An evacuation notice was ordered. Out of concern, I contacted the elderly ladies who lived next door. They had heard the full extent of the events thus far and were in a panic. Their family was not available to help them. So I loaded them into my car. We drove to Grand Lake, where we sat out the rest of the day listening to Gary’s constant radio reporting. After a long and emotionally exhausting afternoon, we received word that it was finally safe to return to the neighborhood.

---

---

Even now, when recounting my day on June 4, I still feel my emotions swell up with the old trauma and stress from that day.

What did you do in the aftermath of the attack?

My family and I kept up with media reporting. We joined the whole community in recounting the events of that historic day with friends, family and associates. As details unfolded, we gathered stories and facts from all sides, including from first responders, shop owners and friends of Marvin Heemeyer.

The heroic efforts of the police, sheriff’s office, town public works department heavy equipment operators and private citizens are to be forever remembered and appreciated. To think that not a single person along the path of the rampage was injured or killed is a true credit to all those who mitigated the situation along the way.

Vicky Burton

Residency

• 2004: Grand County
• 2024: Grand County

What do you remember from that day?

Confusion is my first thought. I had a public land job at the time and had access to a law enforcement radio. I was trying to get back to Granby after a day in the field. The local radio station did a fantastic job of narrating what was occurring. A lot of traffic had stopped at Safeway, and quite a few members of the public were coming to our vehicles for information while SWAT teams were driving up U.S. Highway 40 from Denver to assist the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.

What did you do in the aftermath of the attack?

My personal vehicle ended up being stuck in Granby at our office (unharmed). The following day, a huge parade of traffic drove up from Denver to come look at the aftermath. Granby looked like a war scene with even the highway blacktop ripped up.

The most amazing thing I remember was how quickly Granby rebounded to the amazing town it is today. The destruction within town did not last long. Granby has proven over and over again that it has an amazing resiliency to bounce back from some amazing catastrophes. It seems that turmoil has frequently overtaken Granby in times of personal or political conflation. It really is a melting pot for all where the community acts as one in times in need.

Kerby Horvath

Residency

• 2004: Thornton, Colorado
• 2024: Little Rock, Arkansas

What do you remember from that day?

I was in Thornton for my graduation, watching the news and trying to get ahold of my parents, who were supposed to attend. I hadn’t heard anything from them, and they were late. I called my brother, who lived near the sawmill, and I could hear gunshots over the phone. He was hiding behind his refrigerator with his dog hoping to deflect the bullets coming through the walls of his trailer that were meant for the propane tanks that were nearby.

When my parents showed up, they didn’t have any idea what was happening back home. I was in tears by this time as my brother didn’t answer when I tried to let him know our parents where OK. When I was lining up to walk for my diploma, he called me to let me know it was over. Granby was forever changed, and the heroes of that day would continue on to be my mentors and friends.

What did you do in the aftermath of the attack?

My parents volunteered to help build the new library. I lived In Thornton for about a year and then moved back to Hot Sulphur. The town of Granby was so different than before. It was amazing to see the transformation and how quickly the county pulled together to rebuild. It felt as though we were faced with devastation but were ultimately indestructible. Several years later, I volunteered at Grand Fire.

Paul Piechocki

Residency

• 2004: Grand County
• 2024: Junction City, Kansas

What do you remember from that day?

It was the day after I finished fifth grade, and I was in the town library when the first reverse 911 went out to lock down. I left and started walking home when a friend’s mom grabbed me and took me into the chamber of commerce. The second reverse 911 went out to evacuate, and she took us out of town to a ranch at the base of Red Dirt Hill. As we were leaving, we watched the bulldozer turn off of the highway. The next building he hit was town hall and the library.

What did you do in the aftermath of the attack?

I tried figuring out how to let my dad know that I was OK. He knew I was in the basement of the town hall before the bulldozer leveled the building. He was part of the sheriff’s office response force and had no way of knowing if I actually made it out of the building. He was caught up in the chaos of investigating the attack afterward, so my mom came to pick me up and called him to let him know that I was OK.

Jim Timmermann

Residency

• 2004: Grand County
• 2024: Front Range

What do you remember from that day?

On the day of the incident, my wife and I left our Trail Creek home and drove south on U.S. Highway 34 for a shopping trip to Granby. As we approached U.S. Highway 40 and were passing the concrete plant, we saw that a large exterior wall of the building was missing, and there were numerous emergency vehicles with flashing lights on-site. I speculated there might have been a natural gas explosion. We then continued on and entered Granby on Main Street, stopping at Sky-Hi News for a paper, on to Independent Propane Co. to fill a grill propane tank, stopped at Gambles hardware for materials for a project, and made our last stop at Levers (now Ace Hardware) for groceries. As we were checking out at the cashier station, several men in business clothes ran into the store yelling, “Get out! Get out! Everybody out!”

As we were exiting, we turned back into town on Main Street. As we approached Zero Street, there were five or six enforcement officers from several agencies with rifles directing traffic off Main Street. So we drove past the post office and the Town Hall on our way to Grand County Road 61, the back way out of Granby which connects to U.S. Highway 34 several miles north of the concrete plant. We then returned home without further incident. But on our short trip to town, we had entered two buildings that were destroyed (Ski-Hi News and Gambles), one business that was attacked (Independent Propane Co.), driven past two other buildings that were destroyed (the Thompson house and Town Hall) and four buildings that were damaged (Maple Street Builders, Mountain Parks Electric, Liberty Savings and Kopy Kat Graphics). That night, a friend jokingly asked if we were “running point” for Marvin Heemeyer.

What did you do in the aftermath of the attack?

The night of the incident, we went to dinner with friends to celebrate a birthday. The dinner was on U.S. Highway 34 in the Soda Springs area. The mood at dinner was shock and disbelief of what had happened. But there was also a feeling of togetherness with all in that room, and we all got to know one another very quickly. The mood seemed very similar to that following 911, which had happened less than three years earlier.

Edward (Ted) Wang

Residency

• 2004: Grand County
• 2024: Bellingham, Washington

What do you remember from that day?

I was at home that day and had decided to go to Town Hall. When I pulled out of my driveway, I could hear sirens and observed that both Topaz and Garnet avenues were blocked by police cars between Fourth Street and Town Hall. I returned home, feeling more than a little perplexed, when the phone rang. It was a reverse 911 call telling everyone to evacuate the town to the south. Once I learned and saw what was happening, my principle reactions were shock and, to some degree, horror.

At first, I didn’t know who was behind it, but it didn’t take long for that knowledge to come out, even as it was going on. I knew that it was important to keep myself and others safe, to try to manage what would transpire in the hours and days to come to the best of my ability. I also knew that, as mayor, I was going to have more visibility and responsibility.

I had formal training in emergency response, so I packed up my dog, drove over the river and parked on the far side. From there, I saw the bulldozer shooting and could see bullet impacts on the hillside in Silver Creek. I heard by cellphone descriptions of what had been happening and learned it was Marvin Heemeyer in his “tank.”

What did you do in the aftermath of the attack?

As the attack was winding down, I met with Town Manager Tom Hale at his condo at the ski area, where we worked the phones in an attempt to get clear facts about what was happening, where, how much damage had been done, what would happen in the hours to come and whether our staff members were all unharmed. We were there when we learned the attack was over, and we were told that the governor was on his way to meet with us and to express his support of the town.

Following the meeting with the governor, I went back into town and walked part of Agate Avenue to see some of the damage, including Town Hall. I ended up outside the 7-Eleven when the attempt to open the bulldozer hatch with explosives was made. We were instructed to get behind the wall, away from the bulldozer, which was prudent advice as a fairly large piece of steel torn off by the detonation landed not far by in the parking lot.

In the following days, I tried to keep the media from getting underfoot while damage assessments, cleanup and the removal of Marvin Heemeyer’s body were taking place. At that time, the town was swarming with peace officers from multiple jurisdictions. I promised the reporters that I would hold periodic briefings for them and would give them accurate information on what was happening, based on my observations and conversations with relevant sources. By in large, I found the press to be respectful of my statement that I would not speculate but would try to find answers to their questions, if I didn’t already know them. This continued for something like 48 hours, when the passing of former President Ronald Reagan chased Granby from the front pages.

A few weeks later, I attended the annual meeting and convention of the Colorado Municipal League, where everyone wanted a first-hand account of the day. I was asked to address the assembly twice, which resulted in several thousand dollars donated from cities, towns and other groups toward Granby’s efforts to financially help the individuals and businesses who’d sustained losses. There were many expressions of condolence and support for the future for what Granby had undergone.

As mayor, my fellow trustees and I began working on plans for reconstruction of Town Hall while we made do in temporary quarters. It was a long and fairly arduous process, and we had all the regular town business to attend to, as well. Since my college degree was in fine arts, the board asked me to provide input to the architect on some design components of the new Town Hall, but I must emphasize the entire board and staff were intimately and enthusiastically involved in the planning.

On a number of occasions, I was asked to respond to media questions about the rampage and subsequent recovery as well as interviews responding to accusations that distorted the true background that led up to the act of domestic terrorism that Marvin Heemeyer’s actions indeed were.

Abby Loberg

Residency

• 2004: Grand County
• 2024: Grand County

What do you remember from that day?

My husband was working at the middle school for the last day of the school year. He called to say he couldn’t get home because a reverse 911 call was sent to everyone to shelter in place. U.S. Highway 40 was closed, and he was in town. I’d just had our second child two weeks before, so I was really worried.

What did you do in the aftermath of the attack?

We checked in with friends, neighbors and students who were in town that day. Some of our students were playing in the park near Town Hall when the bulldozer came through. They were scared for their lives. Another friend (Casey Farrell) lost his business. Another friend tried to stop the bulldozer with a road grader. He had PTSD episodes for a while after that.

Marvin Heemeyer was no folk hero. He was a domestic terrorist who destroyed property, businesses and endangered peoples’ lives.

Karol Holland

Residency

• 2004: Grand County
• 2024: Upton, Wyoming

What do you remember from that day?

I remember this well. We had a cabin on Lake Granby, and my dad had run into Granby to the hardware store. He was there forever. I was beginning to wonder if he was coming back. When he did come back, he looked like he had just seen a ghost. He just kept saying, “You’re not going to believe this. There was a guy completely fed up with the town.” We would find out later it was the town government, not the regular folks there.

My dad said the machine looked like a makeshift, piecemeal bulldozer with metal plating covering the sides and top of the dozer for bullet shields. My dad was on the water board for Grand County, so he knew a little bit of how town boards can get rather political. He stated that the guy was either drunk or so pissed off at the local government that he was going to get even.

Stephen Palm

Residency

• 2004: Grand County
• 2024: Grand County part-time

What do you remember from that day?

Someone from the Department of Wildlife came down the street with a high-powered rifle and told me to go to Fraser. Instead, I ran down to the library and watched the bulldozer plow that in. I then started knocking on doors telling people to run. I watched the bulldozer hit the bank and proceed down Agate Avenue to the newspaper building, all while a state trooper and sheriff’s deputy continued to shoot at the bulldozer. I watched the bulldozer battle the county equipment and then hit the Thompson property. I also got people out of the laundromat who were hiding and sent them up the hill. It was an amazing period in my life just watching the insanity of it all by a very nice man pushed to the brink. I ate lunch with Marvin Heemeyer at Mad Munchies a week earlier, and he was very cool and nice. He purchased my meal.

What did you do in the aftermath of the attack?

I walked around town for several days in total disbelief and helped where I could. I tried to help the hardware store recover supplies.

Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.