Report: Secret Service Slow To Respond To 2011 White House Shooting

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The Secret Service was slow to realize that shots were indeed fired at the White House in November 2011, resulting in a poorly-conducted investigation, according to an extensive Washington Post report published on Saturday.

According to the Post, when the gunman fired shots at the White House, the Secret Service rushed to respond. But agents were then told to "stand down" because the Service believed the noise came from a construction site.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/us/bullet-that-struck-the-white-house-is-found.html?_r=1&

The Secret Service then said that the shots were from a gang gunfight near the White House, even though at least seven bullets had actually struck the building. According to the Post, it took four days for the Secret Service to realize that bullets hit the White House after a housekeeper noticed a broken window.

The First Lady and the President were reportedly "infuriated" with the Secret Service response to the shooting. Sasha Obama was home at the time, along with Michelle Obama's mother, Marion Robinson.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/washington-post-2011-white-house-shooting-investigation

Secret Service fumbled response after gunman hit White House residence in 2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-service-stumbled-after-gunman-hit-white-house-residence-in-2011/2014/09/27/d176b6ac-442a-11e4-b437-1a7368204804_story.html?hpid=z1

[jakeXT]

1. “No shots have been fired. ... Stand down,”

Then came an order that surprised some of the officers. “No shots have been fired. .?.?. Stand down,” a supervisor called over his radio. He said the noise was the backfire from a nearby construction vehicle.



That command was the first of a string of security lapses, never previously reported, as the Secret Service failed to identify and properly investigate a serious attack on the White House. While the shooting and eventual arrest of the gunman, Oscar R. Ortega-Hernandez, received attention at the time, neither the bungled internal response nor the potential danger to the Obama daughters has been publicly known. This is the first full account of the Secret Service’s confusion and the missed clues in the incident — and the anger the president and first lady expressed as a result.