A Maryland hunter is accused of fatally shooting a woman after mistaking her for a deer as she walked through a Delaware field with her children, according to state police.
Walter Moorhead, 74, was arrested on manslaughter and other charges after shooting Santos Maria Chilel Soto, 39, on Friday evening in Ellendale, Delaware, state police said in a news release.
Soto was walking through an open field with a man and two children at about 7:40 p.m. when Moorhead, who was hunting deer from a ground blind, opened fire. A ground blind is a camouflaged structure hunters use to conceal themselves from wildlife.
Walter Moorhead, 74, was arrested on manslaughter and other charges. (Delaware State Police)
Police said Moorhead believed he had seen a deer before firing his rifle and striking Soto.
State troopers responded and provided life-saving medical treatment at the scene. Soto was then taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Moorhead faces multiple felony charges, including manslaughter for recklessly causing another person’s death, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.
Santos Maria Chilel Soto was described as a mother of five and a “beloved” aunt. (Iglesia De Dios Fuente De Verdad Delaware)
He was released from custody after posting a $43,000 cash bond.
The investigation remains ongoing.
A GoFundMe page described Soto as a mother of five children and a “beloved” aunt.
“Maria’s family is now facing the overwhelming pain of this sudden loss while also trying to make sure she is laid to rest with dignity,” the fundraiser says. “This heartbreaking situation has placed a heavy financial burden on the family at a time when they are grieving deeply.”
Police said Walter Moorhead mistakenly believed he had seen a deer before firing his rifle. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The fundraiser was created to help pay for funeral expenses and transport Soto’s body to Guatemala. About $12,000 had been raised by Monday evening.