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Charlotte firefighter under investigation after making threats, deputy chief says

07:42 PM EDT on Friday, October 28, 2005

By GLENN COUNTS / 6NEWS

6NEWS

Louis Rusciano of the Charlotte Fire Department is under investigation after making threats.

A Charlotte firefighter stands accused of threatening his colleagues. It’s a case that could pit firefighter against firefighter. 6NEWS has learned it's not the only legal trouble he faces. And our investigators find out why he still working for the fire department.

Station 24 is located on Pineville Matthews Road and it is where the confrontation took place. But there is not uniform agreement as to what happened. And when this case goes to court, one group of firefighters is expected to contradict the other.

"Yes he is still on the job," said Deputy Fire Chief Jon Hannan.

Louis Rusciano has made a career of helping those who are in trouble. But now the 38-year-old Charlotte Firefighter is in trouble himself.

Rusciano worked at Station 24. His supervisor and two firefighters claim that he threatened them.

Court documents quote the firefighter as having said "I'm going to shoot up the fire station. I'm going to shoot everybody in it. I'm going to go postal.”

In August Rusciano was arrested for communicating a threat. Since then he was moved to Station 9 and as the deputy chief said, “is still on the job.”

6NEWS

Rusciano was quoted as having said these words.

"We have and we are investigating. We feel like we are taking appropriate action right now. We strongly feel the public is safe there is not a situation that people need to worry about. We just need to let this run its course," Hannan said.

Hannan said, earlier this month Rusciano was arrested on a domestic violence charges, but once again the department has decided to wait and see what if any action a court takes.

"I think that is something we will have to act on when the court makes its final decision," said Hannan.

This case is scheduled to go to trial in December. 6NEWS tried to contact Rusciano, but he was not available and no one at Station 24 or 9 was willing to say anything about the case.