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Secret Service Botched 2011 Incident

Gunman shot into first family's living room.

The Secret Service bungled the response after a gunman managed to fire into the first family's living room on November 11, 2011. While the gunman, Oscar R. Ortega-Hernandez, was apprehended, the Secret Service failed to properly investigate the shooting, according to an investigation by the Washington Post. When the bullet first struck the White House, Secret Service officers were reportedly mistakenly instructed “No shots have been fired. . . . Stand down.” Secret Service initially insisted the bullet was not aimed towards the White House, but was rather a stray bullet from gang members in a gun fight. It also took Secret Service four days to realize the bullet had reached the White House residence, and that was only after a housekeeper noticed broken glass and a chunk of cement where the bullet hit. The discovery of the security lapses comes days after a man wielding a knife was able to jump the White House fence and sprint towards the front door. The Secret Service has also been caught in unprofessional situations, including soliciting prostitutes in Colombia in 2012 and getting drunk on the job this past March.