A 74-year-old man has been arrested in Delaware, United States, after allegedly shooting and killing a woman he mistook for a deer while hunting, state police said.
Walter Moorhead is facing felony charges including manslaughter, three counts of first-degree reckless endangering and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony following the shooting of 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto.
Delaware State Police said troopers were called to an open field near Ellendale at about 7:40 p.m. Friday after receiving a report that a woman had been shot. Officers provided emergency medical assistance at the scene before Chilel Soto was transported to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Moorhead was arrested at the location following the incident.
Investigators said their preliminary findings indicated that Chilel Soto had been walking through the field with a man and two children when the shooting occurred. Moorhead, meanwhile, was hunting deer from a ground blind, a structure positioned at ground level that allows hunters to conceal themselves while waiting for game.
According to police, Moorhead believed he had spotted a deer and fired his rifle. The shot instead struck Chilel Soto, authorities said.
Following his arrest, Moorhead was released after posting a $43,000 cash bond. He remains subject to the charges as the investigation continues.
State police said the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
