A 39-year-old woman and mother of five lost her life in Delaware, USA, after being struck by a hunter’s bullet. The hunter is suspected of having mistaken her for a deer.
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The fatal incident occurred in the Ellendale area. Santos Maria Chilel Soto, a resident of Georgetown, was crossing an open field with a man and two children when she was shot by 74-year-old Walter Moorehead, who lived in Salisbury, Maryland.
The Delaware State Police said that at around 19:40, Moorehead was in a low, camouflaged structure used by hunters to hide so they are not spotted by wildlife.
Investigators’ initial suspicion is that the 74-year-old believed he had spotted a deer and fired his rifle. The bullet ended up striking Santos Maria Chilel Soto.
Officers who arrived at the scene provided first aid to the woman before she was taken to a local hospital. However, the 39-year-old did not survive her injuries and was pronounced dead.
Moorehead was found at the scene, while police confirmed that he was the person who had fired the shot. He was arrested, and the investigation was assigned to the Homicide Unit of the Delaware State Police.
He was charged with negligent homicide, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. After posting $43,000 bail, the 74-year-old was released.
The New York Post reported that Santos Maria Chilel Soto was originally from Guatemala and left behind five children. An online fundraising campaign has been launched following her death to cover funeral expenses and send her body to Guatemala.
