Killdozer (bulldozer)
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Killdozer has been used as a nickname for the armored bulldozer constructed by Marvin Heemeyer that was 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 from a 1944 short story by Theodore Sturgeon that was later made into a film.
Heemeyer's Killdozer was a Komatsu D335A bulldozer fitted with makeshift armor plating covering the cabin, engine and parts of the tracks. 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. 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. [1] National Guard units was placed on standby orders under Governor Bill Owens (Deployment order has to be made directly from the Governor due to requirement of Posse Comitatus Act). [1]
For visibility, Killdozer was fitted with three video cameras linked to monitors mounted on the vehicle's dashboard.[1] 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.[1]
Killdozer was stopped by the failure of a radiator. As soon as Killdozer came to a halt, Heemeyer committed suicide with a handgun 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,[2] 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.[1]
On April 19, 2005, it was announced that Killdozer was being taken apart for scrap metal.[2] Individual pieces of Killdozer would be dispersed to many separate scrap yards to prevent admirers of Heemeyer from taking souvenirs. [2]
