"Had these tanks ruptured and exploded, anyone within one-half mile of the explosion could have been endangered", the sheriff's department said; within such a range were 12 police officers and residents of a senior citizens complex. And Granby, with its roughly 1,500 working-class residents and town board made of up. Heemeyer apparently had no intention of leaving the cabin once he entered it. He lived in Grand Lake, Colorado, but he moved to town 10 years before the incident, according to his neighbor. The cameras were protected on the outside by 3-inch (76mm) shields of clear bulletproof lexan. [1][15], Police first used explosives in an attempt to remove the steel plates, but after the third explosion failed, they cut through them with an oxyacetylene cutting torch. How can the U.S. government sue a business? Marvin Heemeyers actions on June 4, 2005 have been described in many terms, ranging from deranged to heroic. When Marvin John Heemeyer was born on 28 October 1951, in Castlewood, Hamlin, South Dakota, United States, his father, John Harm Heemeyer, was 27 and his mother, Augusta Mulder, was 30. He suggested that the townsfolk were jealous of his money and success. Killdozer - ArcGIS StoryMaps About this time, Heemeyer began having religious delusions that God was preparing him for a mission. First, he flattened a couple buildings at a close-by concrete batch plant that he had complained about to the town council. Heemeyer also mentioned playing the lottery and the fact that he never won as a sign from God to go forward with his intentions. Marvin John Heemeyer (October 28, 1951 -- June 4, 2004) was an American skilled welder and owner of an automobile muffler shop. Heemeyer bought his two acres from the Resolution Trust Corp., the federal agency set up to handle the assets of failed savings and loan institutions. Heemeyer had no intention of leaving the cabin once he entered; the hatch was permanently sealed. He fired many bullets from his semi-automatic rifle at Cody Docheff when Docheff tried to stop the assault on his concrete batch plant by using a front-end loader. Grand County Emergency Management Director Jim Holahan stated that authorities were able to access and remove Heemeyer's body at 2 a.m. on June 5. A buisness owner that had the city infringe on his rights, Heemeyer stood up to a corrupt government and showed them that he isn't weak, and that the people of America should stand up for what's right.