DENVER (AP) — Three days after a man angry over a dispute with city officials plowed his armored bulldozer into more than a dozen buildings, heavy machinery once more rumbled through the streets of Granby — this time to clean up the damage.
Residents and state officials fear rebuilding the mountain town of 2,200 people, located about 50 miles west of Denver, will cost millions. Mayor Edward "Ted" Wang said 13 buildings were damaged and at least six, including the town hall, are expected to be total losses.
Townspeople worked with shovels Monday while front-end loaders filled dump trucks with rubble.
"We're getting help from every direction," said Jim Holahan, Grand County's emergency management director.
Neighbors and acquaintances said Marvin Heemeyer, 52, was furious with town officials after fighting with them over zoning rules and town code violations at his muffler business.
Investigators believe Heemeyer spent months building a steel and concrete box around the driver's cage of the bulldozer and targeting buildings associated with the disputes.
The coroner said Heemeyer shot himself in the head shortly after the bulldozer ground to a halt Friday in the wreckage of a warehouse.
Joan Parsons was planting flowers in front of her motel Friday when police ordered her to evacuate. Heemeyer knocked down two trees just feet from her plantings, but on Monday the flowers were taking root.
"As long as nobody was hurt and it's all over, we're OK," she said.
Sheriff's deputies planned to interview several of Heemeyer's acquaintances and friends to learn more about how and when he armored the bulldozer. Investigators believe he did the work himself.
The bulldozer's hydraulic lines and radiator were covered with steel plating; TV cameras connected to three monitors showed Heemeyer where he was going.
Police fired hundreds of rounds of bullets at the bulldozer and tried three times to blast through it, but nothing penetrated the armor.
It took a crane to remove Heemeyer's body.
The bulldozer, sitting near an interstate, caused a traffic jam during the weekend when passersby stopped to examine it. Officials covered it with a tarp to discourage spectators.