NEW YORK — Sean "Puffy" Combs rose at the defense table Monday morning, crossed his gold cuff-linked wrists and faced jurors poised to hear his defense team's opening argument.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Sean 'Puff Daddy' Combs," attorney, Benjamin Brafman, boomed over the startled courtroom.

"You can call him Sean," Brafman told jurors who had just heard a prosecutor describe Combs as a manipulative criminal. "You can call him Mr. Combs. You can call him Puff Daddy. You can call him just plain Puffy. But what you cannot do in this case is call him guilty."

High drama characterized opening statements in the rap music king's gun possession and bribery trial. The prosecutor cited Shakespeare as he urged jurors to use "even-handed justice" to convict Combs "no matter who he is" in the Dec. 27, 1999, shooting at a Times Square nightclub.

Courtroom sketch of Combs Monday

The defense struck back, saying the CEO of Bad Boy Entertainment, a man worth an estimated $400 million, was targeted by "starstruck" police and prosecutors.

"It happened because he's a superstar," Brafman said. "Puff Daddy wouldn't be here if he was John Q. Public."

Combs faces 15 years in prison if convicted of illegally possessing two semiautomatic handguns and then bribing a chauffeur into taking the rap. Bogdanos revealed Monday that witnesses and lab tests not only placed a gun in Combs' hand during the Club New York brawl but also showed he had fired the weapon at the ceiling.

Combs is not accused of firing at anyone, and prosecutors lay the blame for three gunshot victims on the shoulders of co-defendant Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, who faces attempted murder charges. Another co-defendant, Bad Boy employee Anthony "Wolf" Jones is accused of weapons possession and bribery.

Bogdanos told jurors that Combs' chauffeur, Wardel Fenderson, would testify that he saw the rap mogul put a handgun in his waistband before entering the club.

"He sees a gun in Mr. Combs hand, he can't believe it. This guy is a multimillionaire. This is Puff Daddy. He's got a security team," said Bogdanos.

He described how Combs and his girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, met up with Jones and Barrow in the VIP section of the very crowded club. After several hours of partying, Combs decided he wanted to leave.

The prosecutor said the entourage barreled through the dance floor, pushing and shoving patrons out of the way. Combs bumped into one man, who Bogdanos described as "a gentleman who was not awed by celebrity," knocking a drink over on the man's clothes. The man threw an elbow, and a profanity-laced argument ensued.

"They were talking about who's got money and who's fake," the prosecutor said. Barrows, he said, became angry about how his boss was being disrespected and pulled out a gun.

At about the same time Barrow squeezed off three bullets, a squad of club security guards surrounded Combs. Bogdanos said that while he was protected, witnesses saw Combs pull out a gun and aim at the ceiling.

"They saw the muzzle flash," he said.

Bogdanos told jurors that Combs fled the club and hopped into a waiting SUV with Jones and Lopez. According to the prosecutor, Jones and Combs screamed at the chauffeur, Fenderson, to elude police. The prosecutor also detailed how Combs and Jones tried "unrelentingly" to bribe Fenderson into accepting responsibility for the weapon.