Krazy Getdown Boys gang linked to Yousel L. Rivera, the suspect in Saturday's shooting of Cape Coral police officer David Wagoner,

gang linked to Yousel L. Rivera, the suspect in Saturday's shooting of Cape Coral police officer David Wagoner, began innocently in 1980.

Krazy Getdown Boys started in Chicago as a party crew, said George Knox, executive director of the National Gang Crime Research Center in Peotone, Ill. The group began tracking gangs in 1990.

Within a few years, KGB was fighting with other gangs. Wagoner's shooting may be its first involving a lawman.

"I am not aware of KGB violence against a police officer, but any gang has that capability," Knox said. "Gangs, no matter what the name, no matter what the colors they represent, all tend to attract persons with a predisposition towards violence."

KGB's colors are purple and white. Its symbols include a sword, a shield and a six-point star. Rivera has a six-point star tattoo.

The gang may have gotten a toehold in Southwest Florida when someone with a link to it moved here, according to Knox.

"Gangs do look for 'fresh areas to operate' or areas that are unprotected, not yet target-hardened against gangs. Gangs also flourish in cities where there is a policy of gang denial," Knox said.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the gang or gang activity in the county.

"Our stance continues to defer comment at this time, especially in light of the recent shooting of a fellow law enforcement officer. Media coverage identifying specific gangs plays right into the hands of what they actively seek - advancing or promoting their criminal endeavors," said sheriff's spokesman Lt. Larry King.

The State Attorney General's Office reported in February that there are 86 documented gangs with 3,000 members in Lee and Collier counties.