Man in apartment shooting pleads

A former attorney who panicked when his blood sugar was low and fired shots through the ceiling of his apartment, hitting an upstairs neighbor, pleaded guilty this week to a gross misdemeanor charge of discharging a weapon where a person might be in danger.

Richard Lanave, 70, entered the guilty plea before Judge Todd Russell in Carson City District Court on Monday. Sentencing is set for April 6.

Lanave was arrested Sept. 30 after he fired several rounds into his ceiling and out his bedroom window in a bid for help. An insulin-dependent diabetic, Lanave feared he was going to die after he found himself on the floor of his bedroom unable to get to a phone, according to investigators.

The bullets passed through the bed where a man and his girlfriend slept just feet away from their newborn.

One of the bullets ripped through the man's ankle and another grazed his leg.

After the complex was evacuated, Carson City Sheriff's deputies spent an hour urging Lanave to exit his apartment.

He told investigators that he feared police would come in shooting, so he mustered enough strength to crawl to the doorway where he was taken into custody, according to court records.

Lanave apologized immediately after the shooting and said that he wanted to pay for any damages.

Less than a month later, Lanave struck a parked car on Fifth Street and then drove away from the scene. When he was stopped by officers a short time later, deputies found a half full bottle of alcohol in the vehicle.

The deputy at the scene said that he believed Lanave was impaired because of his behavior, but a breath test revealed he was not drinking, a check by paramedics at the scene found his blood sugar was normal and a blood test came back as negative for alcohol or drugs.

He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident and was given six months in jail suspended with 40 hours of community service, and one-year probation.

Lanave, a retired California attorney and Navy veteran, did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.

- Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.