Security guard feared a break-in when he asked a man to leave. Then gunfire broke out.

He was trying to do his job, Fresno police said, when a security guard’s confrontation with a suspicious man turned violent.

The 29-year-old guard was shot twice by a suspect who had been wandering in a parking lot, Fresno Police Lt. Stephen Viveros said Saturday night.

As of 8:40 p.m., his condition had been upgraded from critical to stable at Community Regional Medical Center, according to police.

The incident began about 7 p.m. at the parking lot of Mariscos Costa Azul restaurant at East Shaw Avenue and Sixth Street. The guard spotted the man, police said, and asked him to leave out of concern he might be looking to break into a car.

An altercation broke out and the guard was shot twice in the upper torso with what was believed to be a semiautomatic handgun.

The suspect was described as thin, between the ages of 20 and 25, and wearing dark clothing.

No one else, including employees and those dining at the restaurant, was injured.

Police are asking that any witnesses or those who may have information on the assailant to contact Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 or the department at 559-621-7000.

This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 9:11 PM with the headline "Security guard feared a break-in when he asked a man to leave. Then gunfire broke out.."