By Jillian Ogawa
Kisha Wilson''s mother used to go on morning walks before she went to work at 6 a.m. Now, the 50-year old woman is afraid to go outside because she feels like she''s being hunted.
'She was basically living in fear,' said Wilson, 25, a junior from Ft. Washington, Md. 'Now it has turned into anger. Your daily routine is ruined because of some crazy guy.'
The sniper shooting has made Virginia and Maryland residents scared and cautious of outside routines. Sophomore Krisitn Romeril, 19, recently visited Fairfax, Va., and described it as surreal.
'You try to do the things you need to, but you don''t want to over expose yourself because in the back of your mind you remember this is a sniper out there,' said the psychology major from Calgary.
Romeril said many residents would drive around parking lots for a while just to wait for a closer spot to the store so they wouldn''t be outside as much. Many residents have also have gone out of their way to go to gas stations away from wooded or highway areas as well as avoid or minimize going there.
'It is like people in this community are being held hostage by this crazy person,' said Marcia Jackson, a resident of Ashburn, Va.
Her son, Darren Jackson, 17, a freshman majoring in international relations, said has a sense of fear because most of the shootings have been in public places, and he has three younger siblings in school.
'A person I know could be affected,' he said. 'There is a feeling of helplessness.'
A non-profit organization, Guardian Angels, decided to help alleviate some fear by helping pump gas for residents.
'We can''t find sniper because that is a job for the police, but we wanted to get involved another way,' said John Ayala, Guardian Angels D.C. metro regional director.
If a person is afraid to go outside to fill gas in their car, Guardian Angel volunteers help pump gas and take money inside to the cashier. Ayala said the Guardian Angel organization is providing the service because they want to promote a message that people don''t need to be afraid.
'Everyone knows he''s out there, but people have to still go to work,' said sophomore Daniel Jackson, 20, who is living at home now in Ashburn. 'There is only so much people can alter their lives to avoid (the sniper). But schools are taking the brunt of it. They suffered the biggest disruption because they are concerned about the students.'
Many Virginia and Maryland high schools have canceled field trips, homecoming dances, and outdoor sports games as a security precaution for the students.
'We move any activity we can indoor, otherwise it''s canceled,' said Barbara Mitchell, secretary to superintendent of the Falls Church City School District. She added they don''t know how long they would hold the decision, but it is being reviewed everyday in case the sniper situation lightens.
Outdoor activities, such as football games, have been canceled, postponed or held at undisclosed locations to minimize students being outside.
Paul Regnier, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County School District, along with many other Virginia school districts, is not releasing new information to the media because they are afraid it would give the sniper ideas and compromise the safety of the students.