Maryland hunter charged in fatal shooting of Delaware woman mistaken for deer
DELAWARE - A Maryland man faces manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges after allegedly shooting and killing a woman he mistook for a deer in Sussex County, according to Delaware State Police.
What we know:
Troopers responded at approximately 7:40 p.m. on Sept. 18 to an open field near South Old State Road, just north of East Robbins Road, following a report of a shooting. Responding officers provided emergency medical care at the scene before the victim was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Police identified the victim as 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto, of Georgetown, Delaware.
Troopers took 74-year-old Walter Moorhead, of Salisbury, Maryland, into custody at the scene after determining he fired the shot that hit Soto.
74-year-old Walter Moorhead (Photo: Delaware State Police)
According to a preliminary investigation by the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit, Soto was walking through the field with an adult man and two children. Moorhead was hunting deer from a ground blind, saw movement, and fired his rifle believing he was shooting at a deer.
Moorhead was taken to Troop 4 and charged with:
- Manslaughter (felony)
- Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (felony)
- Three counts of first-degree reckless endangering (felony)
Moorhead was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court and released after posting a $43,000 cash bond.
The Source: This article was written using information provided by the Delaware State Police.