Hunter, 74, charged with manslaughter after fatally shooting woman he mistook for deer in Delaware

Walter Moorhead, 74, shot and killed Santos Maria Chilel Soto, 39, while deer hunting near Ellendale, Delaware. He faces manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges.

Delaware hunter shoots and kills woman after mistaking her for deer

A 74-year-old hunter has been charged with manslaughter after fatally shooting a woman he allegedly mistook for a deer during a Friday evening hunt near Ellendale, Delaware, abc7ny.com reports.

Walter Moorhead, of Salisbury, Maryland, was arrested by the Delaware State Police after allegedly firing his rifle at 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto of Georgetown, Delaware, at approximately 7:40 p.m. on Friday.

"The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was walking through the field with a man and two children while Moorhead was hunting deer from a ground blind," the Delaware State Police said in a statement. "Moorhead believed he saw a deer and fired his rifle, striking the victim."

Troopers who responded to the scene administered lifesaving medical care to Soto, but she was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Moorhead was taken into custody after investigators determined he had fired the shot that struck the victim. In addition to felony manslaughter, he faces three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, state police said.

He was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court and released after posting a $43,000 cash bond.

Moorhead did not return a call from ABC News seeking comment. It was not immediately clear whether he has retained an attorney.

The Delaware State Police said the investigation is ongoing and asked anyone with information to contact its homicide unit.

Source: Google News GY — Georgetown