Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

SACRAMENTO, CA — A security guard at a Sacramento marijuana dispensary shot two suspected burglars during an early Friday break-in, killing one and leaving the other in critical but stable condition, according to the Sacramento Police Department as reported by ABC10.

Officers responded to the 8500 block of Thys Court, off Florin Perkins Road, just after 4:30 a.m. after receiving reports of a burglary in progress. Dispatchers also received separate calls reporting the sound of gunfire at the same location. When officers arrived, they found two men, each with at least one gunshot wound. Officers rendered emergency medical aid to one of the suspects at the scene, but he was pronounced dead. The second suspect was transported to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.

Investigators believe an on-duty security guard at the dispensary fired during the encounter. The guard remained at the scene and is cooperating with detectives. Homicide investigators, burglary detectives, and crime scene technicians have taken over the case. Police have not released the names of any of those involved and have not detailed exactly what unfolded in the moments before the guard opened fire.

Marijuana dispensaries are a particularly common target for organized burglary crews. Federal law still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I controlled substance, which prevents most banks from doing business with state-legal dispensaries. The result is significant amounts of cash and product kept on site overnight, often guarded by armed contractors who are routinely the first line of defense when a crew decides to hit one of these businesses before dawn.

More from USA Carry:

California is one of the most restrictive states in the country for civilian concealed carry, but licensed armed security guards working in a professional capacity are permitted to carry firearms while on duty under the state Bureau of Security and Investigative Services framework. That distinction is the entire reason this guard had a tool to defend himself with at 4:30 in the morning.

The Second Amendment is not a special privilege reserved for off-duty hobbyists. It is a baseline right that includes the people who choose to stand post between criminals and the rest of us, often for a paycheck that does not match the risk. The guard cooperating fully with investigators is exactly how this is supposed to go.