OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) — An Oil City man allegedly threatened to shoot and kill three members of the Oil City Housing Authority.

Court documents indicate the Oil City Police Department filed criminal charges against 67-year-old Richard Paul Mizwa, of Oil City.

According to a criminal complaint, on September 15, between 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., Richard P. Mizwa allegedly made statements to a known individual in a common public area of Moran Towers regarding the use of a firearm to shoot and kill three members of the Oil City Housing Authority at that building. The known individual feared for the safety of the staff and filed a police report.

Around 1:10 p.m. on September 17, Chief Robert Wenner and Patrolman Culp, of the Oil City Police Department, conducted a field interview with Mizwa at his apartment.

According to the complaint, during the conversation, Mizwa allegedly admitted to having made the threats against two of the employees but stated he did not comment about the third. Furthermore, he allegedly said that he was having issues with things from his past and asked the officers to take his pistol and secure it for safekeeping until he feels better.

Patrolman Culp took possession of the firearm, a Glock 23 .40 S&W semi-automatic pistol.

The complaint also notes that when Patrolman Culp asked Mizwa if he intended for the threatening statements to be received by the individuals that they were made against, he replied, “Well, this place is filled with ‘rats,'” and indicated that he knew that the comments would make it to the persons he mentioned.

Based on the investigation, three first-degree misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another were filed in Magisterial District Judge Andrew F. Fish on Wednesday, October 3.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 31, with Judge Fish presiding.