Off-duty Florida deputy shoots man who broke into her house

APOPKA, Fla. – An off-duty Florida sheriff’s deputy shot and wounded a man who broke into her home using an axe.

The deputy was at her home in Apopka with her children Tuesday night when the man tried to break through the door with an axe, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said.

The man got inside the house and the deputy shot him several times, Mina said. She struggled with him before handcuffing him and detaining him until deputies arrived. They arrived quickly because they were already in the subdivision investigating several other attempted burglaries.

The agency said in a Facebook post that the deputy and her family are safe. He says the man is expected to survive and will be charged with armed burglary and possibly additional charges, he said.

“I think (the deputy) did a great job — she protected herself and her kids, who were at home with her,” Mina told news outlets. “Just like any normal person, I think she’s shaken up by this.”

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting.