A 74-year-old Maryland hunter has been arrested and charged with manslaughter and other crimes after allegedly fatally shooting a Delaware woman who was walking through a field with her children.
According to the Delaware State Police, Walter Moorhead was hunting deer from a ground blind in an open field in Ellendale, Delaware, when he fired his rifle, striking 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto. Police said that Moorhead believed he saw a deer and fired, but it was later determined that Soto was the actual target.
Soto was walking through the field with a man and two children at around 7:40 p.m. on Friday evening when she was shot. State troopers responded to the scene and provided life-saving medical care before Soto was rushed to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Moorhead was arrested and charged with manslaughter recklessly causing the death of another person, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. He was released from custody after posting a $43,000 cash bond.
The incident remains under investigation, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help Soto's family cover funeral services and other expenses. The page describes Soto as a "beloved" aunt and mother of five children, and notes that her family is facing a heavy financial burden in addition to their grief.
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