Olathe sets homicide record in 2011

? Olathe had six homicides last year, setting a record for the Kansas City suburb.

The Kansas City Star reports there were 11 homicides in Johnson County in 2011, and six were in Olathe, which the 2010 Census said is also the fastest growing city in Kansas. The most homicides in Olathe since 1996 — the oldest records available — were four in 2010 and four in 2002.

Officials say seven of the 11 Johnson County homicides, including five in Olathe, involved domestic violence.

Olathe Police Sgt. Grant Allen said none of the six killings in Olathe was the random murder of a stranger, and it’s not clear why the numbers are increasing.