A Maryland hunter has been charged with manslaughter and other offences after allegedly fatally shooting a woman he mistook for a deer in Delaware, according to authorities. Walter Moorhead, 74, was hunting from a ground blind near Ellendale, Delaware, on Friday evening when he reportedly fired his rifle, believing he saw a deer, state police said.
The shot struck 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto, a Georgetown resident, as she walked across the field with two children. Ms Soto was taken to an area hospital for emergency treatment but was pronounced dead.
State police took Mr Moorhead into custody and charged him with manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and reckless endangering. Delaware law defines manslaughter as recklessness causing the death of another person, and both manslaughter and possession of a firearm are considered class B felonies, which can carry up to 25 years in prison.
Mr Moorhead has since posted a $43,000 bond and been released from custody pending the outcome of the case, according to Delaware state police.