Delaware State Police say Walter Moorhead, 74, of Salisbury, Maryland, fired from a ground blind after believing he saw a deer, instead striking a 39-year-old woman walking through an Ellendale field with a man and two children.
ELLENDALE, DE — A Maryland man has been charged with manslaughter after Delaware State Police said he fatally shot a woman while hunting deer Friday evening in Sussex County.
Walter Moorhead, 74, of Salisbury, Maryland, was hunting from a ground blind in an open field near South Old State Road, north of East Robbins Road, when the shooting occurred at approximately 7:40 p.m. Sept. 18.
According to the Delaware State Police, the 39-year-old Georgetown woman was walking through the field with a man and two children when Moorhead allegedly believed he saw a deer and fired his rifle.
The shot struck the woman.
Troopers attempted lifesaving care
Responding troopers provided emergency medical treatment at the scene before the woman was transported to an area hospital.
She was later pronounced dead.
State police were withholding her identity pending notification of her family.
No injuries to the man or two children walking with her were reported.
Police say hunter fired fatal shot
Troopers contacted Moorhead at the scene and determined that he had fired the round that struck the woman, according to the preliminary investigation.
He was taken into custody, and the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit assumed responsibility for the investigation.
Authorities have not released additional details about visibility at the time of the shooting, the distance between Moorhead and the victim, or what specifically caused him to believe he was firing at a deer.
Moorhead released on $43,000 cash bond
Moorhead was transported to Delaware State Police Troop 4 and charged with manslaughter and additional offenses related to the shooting.
He was arraigned through the Justice of the Peace Court and released after posting a $43,000 cash bond.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The charges are accusations. Moorhead is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.