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US hunter charged after fatally shooting woman he mistook for a deer, police say
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- Walter Moorhead, a 74-year-old hunter from Maryland, was arrested and charged with manslaughter after fatally shooting a woman he mistook for a deer while hunting near Ellendale, Delaware.
- The victim, 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto from Georgetown, Delaware, was struck by Moorhead's rifle as she walked across a field with two children and later died at a hospital.
- Moorhead faces charges including manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and reckless endangering, with potential penalties of up to 25 years in prison.
- Moorhead was released on a $43,000 bond pending the outcome of the case, and authorities noted that failure to properly identify a target is a common cause of fatal hunting incidents.
- According to the International Hunter Education Association, fatal accidental shootings during hunting are relatively rare, averaging about 17 incidents annually between 2010 and 2025.
