US hunter charged after fatally shooting woman he mistook for a deer, police say
Walter Moorhead, 74, jailed on suspicion of manslaughter after allegedly shooting a woman while hunting in Delaware
TL;DR
- Walter Moorhead, 74, is accused of fatally shooting Santos Maria Chilel Soto, 39, in Delaware.
- Moorhead allegedly mistook Soto for a deer while hunting and fired his rifle.
- Soto was walking across a field with two children at the time of the incident.
- Moorhead has been charged with manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and reckless endangering.
- Delaware law defines manslaughter as recklessness causing death, a class B felony.
- Moorhead was released on a $43,000 bond.
- Fatal accidental shootings in hunting are rare, with failure to identify a target being a common cause, according to IHEA data.