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Two Colorado State Patrol troopers keep the area around an armored bulldozer secure after it was removed from the Gambles Hardware store rubble in Grandby, Colo. in this 2004 file photo. (AP)
• The armored bulldozer known as “Killdozer,” was dismantled in 2005.
• It was piloted by a disgruntled Granby, Colorado, resident who caused $7 million worth of damage in the town in 2004.
A viral meme about current Canadian protests references a 2004 Colorado rampage that became a rallying point for anti-government extremists.
The Feb. 6 post on Facebook is a screenshot of a meme that says, "Got the old killdozer loaded up heading for Ottawa. Time to turn this peaceful protest a little more interesting hahahahah see ya in 2 weeks in Ottawa." The meme includes a photo of an armored bulldozer that was known as the "Killdozer."
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The meme references the "Freedom Convoy" protest against vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions that began in Ottawa, Canada, and has spread to other Canadian cities. It also references a 2004 attack in Granby, Colorado, by Marvin Heemeyer, who modified a bulldozer by covering it with layers of steel and cement, adding multiple guns and mounting cameras so he could see outside.
Heemeyer had been in a property dispute with neighbors and city officials and lost a related lawsuit. Using the so-called Killdozer, he "destroyed 13 buildings, methodically crawling through the town in his homemade tank and striking down structures owned by those he thought were out to get him," Colorado Public Radio reported. Heemeyer fired shots at law enforcement, but no one except him died in the attack. He died by suicide.
It’s estimated that Heemeyer caused $7 million worth of damage.
Granby town leaders voted unanimously in 2005 to have the Killdozer cut apart and sold as scrap metal, "so no one will ever be able to harvest souvenirs from its rampage through the town," the Rocky Mountain News reported that year.
In the years since the attack, Heemeyer has become "revered" by extremist groups, Megan Squire, a computer science professor at Elon University who tracks online extremism, told NBC News in 2020.
"Killdozer represents the intersection between the libertarian ideal of small government and the militant fantasy of the Boogaloo," a far-right anti-government movement, Squire said. "Heemeyer, as Killdozer, meticulously planned a revenge fantasy on some local government entities that he blamed for excessive regulation of his business."
A Facebook post says, "Got the old killdozer loaded up heading for Ottawa."
The armored bulldozer known as "Killdozer" was dismantled in 2005, cut apart and sold as scrap metal.
We rate this claim False.
CBS Denver, "It’s Been 15 Years Since The Granby Bulldozer Rampage," June 4, 2019
Colorado Public Radio, "This Man Barely Escaped Killdozer’s Path. Now He’s Written A Book About Marvin Heemeyer," May 24, 2018
CanNBC News, "Man charged in deputy ambush scrawled extremist 'Boogaloo' phrases in blood," June 12, 2020
NPR for Northern Colorado, "Granby's Bulldozer Rampage Captured The World's Attention. Now It's A Documentary," Feb. 20, 2020
Patrick Brower, "Meme inspired by Heemeyer rampage in Granby becomes extreme right wing rallying cry," accessed Feb. 10, 2022
Rocky Mountain News, "DOZER DIGS ITS OWN GRAVE USED BY ANGRY RESIDENT TO ATTACK GRANBY, MACHINE TO BE DISMANTLED AS SCRAP," March 1, 2005
Ski-Hi News, "Brower: It’s clear Marvin Heemeyer didn’t care whether he killed," Nov. 30, 2017
Washington Post, "‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters shut down third border crossing, as Ottawa police warn of arrests ‘without a warrant,’’’ Feb. 10, 2022
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