Delaware deer hunter charged after fatally shooting woman he mistook for deer
A deer hunter fatally shot a woman walking through a field in Delaware after mistaking her for a deer, according to state police. The hunter has been charged with manslaughter.
The shooting happened at about 7:40 p.m. on Friday in an open field near South Old State Road, north of East Robbins Road, in Ellendale, according to the Delaware State Police. Troopers provided emergency medical care before the woman was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police identified the victim as 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto, of Georgetown, Delaware.
Authorities said the hunter was in a ground blind when he believed he saw a deer and fired his rifle, striking Soto as she walked through the field with a man and two children.
Troopers spoke with the hunter at the scene and determined that he had fired the shot that struck Soto, according to state police. The suspect, identified as 74-year-old Walter Moorhead, of Salisbury, Maryland, was taken into custody.
He was charged with manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and three counts of first-degree reckless endangering. He was arraigned and released after posting a $43,000 cash bond.
The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit is investigating the shooting.
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