Man who broke into family's home after midnight charges at homeowner outside, cops say. But homeowner has a gun — and it doesn't end well for suspect.

A man broke into a Florida home around 1 a.m. Sunday while a husband, wife, and their three children were asleep — and he paid a huge price.

What happened?

Polk County Sheriff's deputies said the homeowner's wife heard banging on the front door of their Frostproof residence and woke him up, WTSP-TV reported. When he investigated, he noticed the front door had been forced open — so he grabbed a handgun, the station said.

With that, investigators said the husband found Jory Plummer outside in front of the home "yelling obscenities at him," WPST reported.

The man told Plummer "numerous times" to leave, the station noted, but investigators said Plummer refused.

"The husband described Plummer as 'out of control,'" the sheriff's office wrote in a news release, according to WPST.

But it got worse. Deputies told the station that Plummer charged at the homeowner, who – "in fear for his life" – fired one round and hit the suspect.

Things weren't over yet. The sheriff's office said Plummer walked a few feet, turned around, and charged again — and the homeowner shot the suspect a second time, WPST reported.

Deputies responded to the scene and tried lifesaving efforts, but Plummer died at a hospital, the station said.

What did the sheriff have to say?

"People have a right to be safe in their home, and when necessary, defend that safety," Sheriff Grady Judd wrote in a statement, WPST said. "At this point in the investigation, the evidence indicates that the resident acted in self-defense."

Judd added on a WVTV-TV clip that "our victim and his wife have zero criminal history. Just good, hard-working Americans in their bed at night, with their infant children, when [the suspect] kicks the door in."

The station said Plummer's criminal history includes nine felonies and nine misdemeanors, including:

• Sexual assault
• Domestic violence — battery
• Tampering with evidence
• Forgery
• Resisting a law enforcement officer
• Possession of marijuana
• Driving on a suspended driver's license
• Violation of probation
• Failure to appear

Anything else?

Readers of TheBlaze might recognize the no-nonsense Sheriff Judd and his way with words:

• Last June when nationwide rioting was heating up after the death of George Floyd, Judd warned criminals that residents will "be in their homes tonight with their guns loaded."
• A month later, he hit a "thug" with 230 charges after the thug allegedly murdered three friends on a fishing trip, adding that "we pray" for "the death penalty."
• Then in September, he used photographs to help an apparently confused media differentiate between "a peaceful protest" and "a riot."