A Maryland man is facing charges in the shooting death of a woman he said he mistook for a deer.
Delaware State Police said in a news release that Walter Moorhead was hunting from a ground blind, or a camouflaged shelter, on Sept. 18 while the woman, a man, and two children were walking in a field in Ellendale, Delaware.
Moorhead said he thought he saw a deer and fired his rifle. The shot hit the woman.
NBC News said state police identified her as Santos Maria Chilel Soto of Georgetown, Delaware.
Police were called and found the woman, who was wounded. They provided life-saving medical care before she was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
State troopers said Moorhead was taken into custody and was charged with manslaughter and other alleged crimes, ABC News reported. All of the counts are felonies, but he was released after posting a $43,000 cash bond, state police said.
The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit is investigating.
Requests for comment from Moorhead made by NBC News and ABC News were not returned.
©2026 Cox Media Group
