Killdozer

About

Killdozer is a portmanteau of the words "kill" and "bulldozer" given to a modified armored bulldozer driven by American welder and automobile repair shop owner Marvin John Heemeyer, who went on a rampage with the vehicle in early June 2004 through Granby, Colorado.

Origin

On February 2nd, 1974, the science-fiction horror film Killdozer! was released, featuring a bulldozer possessed by an alien life form.^[2] On June 4th, 2004, Marvin Heemeyer^[1] drove an armor-plated bulldozer to various locations in Granby, Colorado, causing damage to the Town Hall, the office of a local newspaper and various other buildings over the course of two hours and seven minutes. No one was harmed during the rampage until the bulldozer became lodged in the basement of a store, leading Heemeyer to shoot himself in the head.

The incident is believed to have been conducted in retaliation for a zoning dispute between Heemeyer and the town Granby town council. On August 9th, 2006, YouTuber eexlebots uploaded footage of the incident titled "Killdozer Helicopter News Footage" (shown below). Within 12 years, the video accumulated upwards of 4.8 million views.

Spread

On June 4th, 2015, the 11th anniversary of the rampage, Redditor rodion_kjd submitted a video of the incident to /r/videos^[3] titled "It's Killdozer day. Never forget." On June 4th, 2017, Facebook user Tyler Macfarlane published a post in honor of the 13th anniversary of the rampage, commemorating Heemeyer as "the last great American folk hero" (shown below). Over the next year, the post gained over 113,000 shares, 94,000 reactions and 9,400 comments.

On March 16th, 2018, YouTuber Qxir uploaded a video titled "KILLDOZER: How a Man Made His Own Tank" (shown below). On June 4th, Redditor Casualbat007 reposted a video of the incident in honor of the 14th anniversary to /r/videos,^[4] where it garnered more than 29,900 points (90% upvoted) and 3,300 comments within 48 hours.

Search Interest

External References