Hunter fatally shoots woman he mistook for a deer, Delaware police say

A hunter shot and killed a woman in Delaware last week after he mistook her for a deer, police said.

Walter Moorhead, 74, faces multiple charges, including manslaughter and reckless endangerment, for fatally shooting Santos Maria Chilel Soto, 39, Friday evening in the town of Ellendale, according to Delaware State Police.

Moorhead, of Salisbury, Maryland, was arrested at the scene of the shooting and later released on a $43,000 bond. State police said the preliminary investigation by its homicide unit indicated that Moorhead had been crouched close to the ground in an open field, hunting, when Soto passed by with a man and two children. Believing he had seen a deer, the hunter then fired his rifle in their direction, striking Soto.

Troopers were called to the scene at around 7:40 p.m. that night. After giving Soto life-saving medical care, responders took her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, state police said.

In addition to a manslaughter charge, Moorhead also faces one count for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and three counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree.

As their investigation into the shooting continues, state police have asked anyone with information about the case to contact them directly, or submit tips through Delaware Crime Stoppers.

An evangelical church in Georgetown, Delaware, where Soto lived, shared an obituary for her after her death.

“It is with deep sorrow that our church announces the passing of our beloved sister in Christ, Maria Chilel Soto,” the church wrote in the obituary, which has been translated from Spanish. “We join in prayer and solidarity with her family and loved ones during this time of deep grief.”

The church also held services honoring Soto and her family, videos of which were posted on social media. The church said official funeral arrangements would be shared as that information became available.

Soto’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for funeral costs, and the cost of transporting her body to Guatemala, where she is from, to be buried. It had collected about $4,500 of its $6,500 goal as of Monday morning.

The incident comes about a year after a teenager died in rural Iowa, after he was shot by a fellow hunter who apparently mistook him for a squirrel.