Brooklyn cops shoot man carrying BB gun

A 61-year-old man was shot twice early yesterday in Brooklyn by cops who said they thought the BB gun he was carrying was a handgun.

A 911 caller reported an armed man on Linden Street in Bushwick at about 1:30 a.m. Responding officers said the man, James Crockett, ignored repeated orders to drop the weapon.

When he instead turned toward them and raised it, one officer fired twice, police said.

Crockett's weapon turned out to be a "very real-looking" BB gun, a source said.

"I heard two shots," said Ben Padilla, 62. "To be honest, I'm not too surprised. Around this neighborhood, it's normal, so I didn't pay any mind to it."

A witness who gave his name only as Tony said that he heard two "pops" and that "when I looked outside, I saw a man lying on a stretcher and about six or eight police cars gathered."

Crockett was in stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital last night with wounds to the torso and a thigh.

He was charged with criminal possession of a disguised gun and menacing a police officer.