74-year-old Delaware man says he was shooting a deer. He fatally shot a woman instead

Delaware State Police have charged a 74-year-old hunter after saying he killed a woman Friday night in a field near Ellendale, Delaware. Authorities identified the hunter as Walter Moorhead of Salisbury, Maryland, and said he believed he saw a deer before he fired his rifle.

State police named the victim on Sunday as 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto of Georgetown, Delaware. Authorities placed the shooting at about 7:40 p.m. Friday.

The police said Soto was moving through the field with a man and two children when the shot was fired. Officers said Moorhead had been hunting deer from a ground blind at the time.

Police said the hunter fired from a ground blind near Ellendale

According to ABC News, Delaware State Police said responding troopers gave Soto lifesaving medical aid at the scene. Officials said she was later pronounced dead at a hospital. A preliminary investigation led police to conclude that Moorhead fired the round that struck her, authorities said. Troopers then placed him in custody.

In a statement, cited by the outlet, Delaware State Police said, “The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was walking through the field with a man and two children while Moorhead was hunting deer from a ground blind. Moorhead believed he saw a deer and fired his rifle, striking the victim.” The tragedy highlights the danger of misidentification in shootings, as a Texas man fatally shot a woman during a road rage incident at her workplace.

Police said Moorhead was charged with felony manslaughter. State police also listed three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Such cases often involve tragic misjudgments, like when a Texas man with blood on his jeans allegedly killed a woman after claiming she was flirting with him.

Authorities said the Justice of the Peace Court arraigned Moorhead. Police said he was released after posting a $43,000 cash bond.

ABC News said a Sunday call to a listed phone number for Moorhead was not returned. Police said it was not clear whether he had an attorney. They added that the case is still under investigation, and asked anyone with information to contact the homicide unit.