APOPKA, Fla. — An off-duty Orange County deputy shot a man who broke into her Apopka home with an ax Tuesday night, investigators say.

• Sheriff's Office: Man was breaking into Apopka homes with ax
• The last home he came upon was an off-duty deputy's
• Man in stable condition, faces armed burglary, assault charges

The Sheriff's Office says that at about 5:30 p.m., deputies were responding to calls about a man with an ax breaking into homes in the Rolling Oaks subdivision in Apopka.

The man eventually made his way to the deputy's home while she and her children were inside.

Sheriff John Mina says the man entered through a back door, and that's when the deputy shot him multiple times with her department-issued gun. She struggled with him and eventually got him handcuffed.

The deputy and her children were unharmed.

"I'm very satisfied with her performance. I think she did a great job," Mina said Tuesday night. "She protected herself and she protected her kids who were at home with her. Just like any normal person, she was shaken up by this. Someone tried to break into her home with an ax," he said.

The Sheriff's Office identified the suspect Wednesdsay as Steven William Thayer, 40. He was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in stable condition and expected to be OK.

Authorities released a photo of an ax and a broken glass door.

The Sheriff's Office says Deputy Bridget Erwin was the deputy who fired upon the suspect. She has been with the Sheriff's Office since May 2018, the agency says.

Thayer faces several charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and armed burglary of an occupied dwelling with a deadly weapon.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, which is standard protocol in situations in which an officer discharges their weapon.