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A Maryland hunter is accused of fatally shooting a woman after mistaking her for a deer while she walked through a Delaware field with her children, according to state police.
Walter Moorhead, 74, was arrested for manslaughter and other charges after he shot Santos Maria Chilel Soto, 39, on Friday evening in Ellendale, Delaware, State Police said in a press release.
Soto was walking through an open field with a man and two children at around 7:40 p.m. as Moorhead was hunting deer from a ground blind, which is a camouflaged structure used by hunters to hide from the sight of game animals.
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Walter Moorhead, 74, was arrested for manslaughter and other charges. (Delaware State Police)
According to police, Moorhead believed he saw a deer and fired his rifle, striking Soto.
State troopers responded to the scene and provided life-saving medical care before Soto was rushed to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Moorhead was was slapped with multiple felony charges — manslaughter recklessly causing the death of another person, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.
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Santos Maria Chilel Soto was described as a mother of five children and a “beloved” aunt. (Iglesia De Dios Fuente De Verdad Delaware)
He was released from custody after posting a $43,000 cash bond.
The incident remains under investigation.
Soto was described as a mother of five children and a “beloved” aunt, according to a GoFundMe page.
“Maria’s family is now facing the overwhelming pain of this sudden loss while also trying to make sure she is laid to rest with dignity,” the fundraiser reads. “This heartbreaking situation has placed a heavy financial burden on the family at a time when they are grieving deeply.”
Police said Walter Moorhead mistakenly believed he saw a deer and fired his rifle. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The fundraiser was launched to help the family cover funeral services and the cost of sending her body to Guatemala. Roughly $12,000 has been raised as of Monday evening.