As New Yorkers were waiting anx iously yesterday to see if a Queens grand jury would indict any of the cops in the Sean Bell case, the families of two auxiliary police officers went into mourning themselves.

Officers Nicholas Todd Pekearo and Eugene Marshalik were gunned down in cold blood Wednesday night outside De Marco’s Pizzeria in Greenwich Village.

They were the first auxiliary cops to die in the line of duty since 1993, and are among only seven to have been killed in the city’s history.

The scene was like something out of a movie – but, alas, not notably more dangerous than what NYPD officers often confront.

The gunman, 32-year-old David Garvin, entered the eatery and opened fire, hitting bartender Alfredo Morales in the back 15 times and killing him.

Garvin then fled, and as Pekearo and Marshalik – both unarmed – approached, he gunned them down, too.

The chaos grew as a firefight broke out between Garvin and other officers. All told, 56 shots were fired.

Police said Garvin was carrying two semi-automatic handguns and a bag with a fake beard and 100 rounds of ammo.

“He appeared to be ready to take even more lives,” Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

Bizarre? Sure.

But an unusual level of danger for New York cops?

Not really.

Earlier this week, a plainclothes officer was shot in Harlem, and a Brooklyn cop was stabbed. Fortunately, neither incident was fatal.

But flying bullets and unpredictable criminals are a continual threat in New York, notwithstanding the steep drop in crime over the years.

All of which lends context to the Sean Bell shooting.

At this point, many of the facts of that case have not yet been made public. The five officers involved fired 50 rounds, a number that has gotten much attention.

And the usual rabble-rousers have sought to ratchet up tensions, claiming that Bell and his pals were unarmed and shot, pretty much, solely because they were black.

Never mind that three of the officers are themselves black.

Never mind the possibility that confusion, turmoil and fear – of the kind that ensued in the Village Wednesday – may have led to a tragic error.

Never mind, even, that a witness emerged this week claiming to have seen a fourth suspect shooting at the cops and then fleeing. The witness, reportedly a 55-year-old janitor, testified yesterday.

Is that testimony credible?

Who knows? But folks like the Rev. Al Sharpton sure don’t want to let any new evidence stand in the way of convicting the cops, innocent or not.

“Who determines what is credible?” Sharpton asked. “This story” – from the new witness – “smells.” He wants state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to monitor the grand-jury proceedings.

Once Rev. Al, it seems, always Rev. Al.

But cops live in the real world.

And face real dangers, as Pekearo and Marshalik did, with horrific results.

When that’s understood, it might be a bit easier to comprehend what led to Sean Bell’s tragic death.