US hunter charged after fatally shooting woman he mistook for a deer, police say
Also reported by CBS News
Summary
A Maryland hunter has been charged with manslaughter after he accidentally shot and killed a woman he thought was a deer in Delaware. The victim was a 39-year-old woman walking with children when she was struck by the hunter's rifle.Key Facts
- Walter Moorhead, 74, was hunting near Ellendale, Delaware, when he fired at what he thought was a deer.
- The shot actually hit Santos Maria Chilel Soto, who was walking across the field with two children.
- Soto was taken to a hospital but was declared dead.
- Moorhead was arrested and charged with manslaughter, carrying a firearm during a felony, and reckless endangerment.
- Manslaughter in Delaware means causing death through reckless behavior and carries a possible 25-year prison sentence.
- Moorhead posted a $43,000 bond and was released while awaiting trial.
- Fatal accidental shootings during hunting are rare but usually involve misidentifying the target.
- From 2010 to 2025, there were 252 fatal hunting incidents in the U.S. on average each year, according to the International Hunter Education Association.
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