A 73-year-old White man in Walton County, Georgia is facing federal charges after being accused of yelling racial slurs at his Black neighbor and shooting his gun at him, local station Atlanta station WSB reported.

The incident took place on May 26 when a neighbor called the authorities to report that Mark Wheeler was screaming racial epithets at him while in his front yard and fired a .22 caliber revolver in his direction.

Wheeler, who told the sheriffs that he had been drinking heavily for almost 10 hours, admitted to calling his neighbor “things” and firing the gun at him. As a result of his behavior, Wheeler was charged with felony aggravated assault and reckless conduct.

Following his arrest, Wheeler posted bond and is not permitted to have any contact with his neighbors. Around two weeks later, the neighbors complained that Wheeler attempted to intimidate them by standing close to the fence that separates their properties and staring at them.

RELATED- Black Colorado Ranchers Arrested After Claims They Are Targets Of A Racist ‘Reign of Terror’

Additionally, the FBI field office in Atlanta launched an investigation into the matter and conducted an interview with the victim’s wife who is white. She testified that Wheeler said, “Yay, no more (expletive) (slur)” as they moved into their home.

In their investigation, the FBI also interviewed the couple’s landlords, who are Black, and they said that Wheeler has a long track record of displaying racist behavior toward them as well as other tenants that he’s encountered.

Due to the amount of evidence found, federal prosecutors have charged Wheeler with violation of the criminal provision of the Fair Housing Act and unlawful use of a firearm.

The case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division U.S. and the Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia.

If convicted, Wheeler faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.