It is with profound sadness, anger, and concern that we call attention to the tragic death of a 39-year-old Guatemalan mother who was fatally shot by a hunter in Ellendale, Delaware. According to Delaware State Police, the hunter reported that he mistook her for a deer before firing the shot that took her life.

At the time, she was walking through a field accompanied by another adult and two children. What should have been an ordinary day ended with five children losing their mother and a community left with grief, fear, and serious unanswered questions.

The explanation that a human being could be mistaken for a deer is deeply troubling and deserves thorough scrutiny. A firearm should never be discharged at a target that has not been positively identified. The circumstances surrounding this shooting—including what the hunter could see, what safety precautions were taken, and why the shot was fired—deserve a complete and transparent investigation.

These questions are especially important to Delaware’s Hispanic and immigrant communities. In today’s political and social climate, many Hispanic and immigrant families are already experiencing fear and uncertainty amid hostile rhetoric, discrimination, and anti-immigrant sentiment. For members of this community, it is difficult to simply hear that a Guatemalan mother was “mistaken for a deer” and feel reassured without knowing that every possible circumstance surrounding her death has been thoroughly examined.

We are not declaring without evidence that this was a hate crime. We are asking authorities to give this family and community enough transparency to know that possibility has not simply been dismissed. Investigators should examine all available evidence and determine whether negligence, reckless conduct, bias, or any other factor contributed to this mother’s death.

Her family deserves to know exactly what happened. Her community deserves to know that her identity as a Guatemalan and Hispanic woman was appropriately considered when investigators evaluated every possible motive and circumstance. And the public deserves to know whether existing hunting regulations provide adequate protection against another person losing their life in this way.

Five children are now without their mother. They will carry the consequences of what happened that day for the rest of their lives.

We call upon Delaware state authorities and the Governor to ensure a complete and transparent investigation, appropriate accountability based on the evidence, and a comprehensive review of Delaware’s hunting safety laws. That review should examine hunter education and training, positive target-identification requirements, visibility standards, safety zones around populated areas, and whether additional protections are necessary in places where hunters and members of the public may be present at the same time.

This mother should not become another headline that disappears when public attention moves elsewhere.

Her life mattered. Her children deserve answers. Her community deserves to feel safe.

Please stand with this family and Delaware’s Hispanic and immigrant communities in calling for truth, accountability, meaningful safety reform, and justice.