Salisbury Man Charged After Deer Hunt Turns Deadly
Ellendale, DE - The Delaware State Police arrested 74-year-old Walter Moorhead, of Salisbury, Maryland, on manslaughter and related charges after a woman was fatally shot Friday evening in Ellendale. The shooting happened while the victim was walking through a field, where the man was hunting.
On September 18, 2026, at approximately 7:40 p.m., troopers responded to an open field near S. Old State Road, north of East Robbins Road, for a report of a woman who had been shot. Troopers on scene gave the victim life saving medical care before she was taken to an area hospital
Tragically, the victim, a 39-year-old woman from Georgetown, Delaware, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Her name is being withheld until her family can be notified.
Troopers at the scene spoke with Moorhead and determined he had fired the shot that struck the victim. He was taken into custody, and the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit took over the investigation from there.
Investigators say the victim was walking through the field with a man and two children at the time of the shooting. Moorhead was nearby, hunting deer from a ground blind. Police say he believed he saw a deer, fired his rifle, and the shot struck the victim.
Moorhead was taken to Troop 4, where he was charged with manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and three counts of reckless endangering in the first degree. He was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court following his arrest.
He was later released after posting a $43,000 cash bond.
The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit continues to investigate this case. Detectives are asking anyone with information relevant to the investigation to come forward. Tips can be sent to Detective M. Csapo at (302) 741-2729.
Information can also be submitted through a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police. Residents can also contact Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333. All tips to Crime Stoppers can be made anonymously.
Disclosure: All individuals mentioned in this article are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Eastern Shore Undercover® does not express or imply any opinion regarding the incident reported.
