Delaware hunter charged with manslaughter after mistakenly shooting woman
A 74-year-old hunter in Ellendale, Delaware, was arrested and charged with manslaughter and related offenses after he fired at a woman he thought was a deer, killing her.
Walter Moorhead, 74, of Salisbury, Maryland, was arrested on the scene after a rifle shot he fired in an open field struck 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto, killing her. State police said the preliminary homicide investigation found Moorhead was crouched low, hunting, when Soto walked past with a man and two children. Believing she was a deer, he fired, hitting Soto.
Troopers responded around 7:40 p.m. on Friday, provided emergency care and transported Soto to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Moorhead was released on a $43,000 bond and faces a manslaughter count, one count of firearm possession during a felony, and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.
Police continue to investigate and have asked the public to submit any information through Delaware Crime Stoppers. The victim’s family has started a fundraising campaign to cover funeral expenses and the cost of returning her remains to Guatemala.