It's been almost three weeks since the Washington-area sniper began randomly attacking the nation's capital, targeting victims while they walk to school, mow their lawns and pump gas into their cars.

The attacks have caused residents living near the Washington area to change their routines, stay at home more and go out less. Schools have closed down. Grocery shopping is no longer a priority.

"Everybody here is talking about it a lot. A lot of parents are cautious," George Washington University sophomore Annie Blinkoff said.

"My mom called me freaking out (Sunday) and told me never to go outside again. I told her I'd be careful, but there's really nothing I can say," she added. "On campus, people for the most part feel safe, but venturing off-campus - most people try to avoid it."

"People are making it a point to stay close by," added her friend, George Washington sophomore Sarah Weintraub.

Although the Montgomery County Police Department yesterday seized two men taken from outside a Richmond, Va. gas station, it was only hours until authorities told The Associated Press that the men were not involved in the shootings and would be deported for immigration violations. The men were arrested after police officers received a call from an unidentified person, believed to be the sniper, who some believe is becoming more and more brazen with each killing, officials said.

Nine people have died and three, including a 13-year-old boy, have been critically wounded since the shootings started Oct. 2.

The victims come from a variety of backgrounds and occupations. They include a landscaper, a taxi driver, a nanny and a father of six. The ages of the victims range from 13 to 72.

With almost every shooting, the sniper has mocked and taunted area police officers.

One shooting occurred across the street from a police station, and authorities believe the sniper has left several messages behind during other shootings, including at least one tarot death card that read "Dear Policeman, I am God," according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

"This is a very difficult case," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said during his Oct. 15 press briefing. "This is a very trying case and a difficult time for the communities involved, the families involved. And law enforcement at the federal level and the state level are doing everything in their power to help resolve the crimes."

Though some have speculated that the shootings are the work of a terrorist, Auburn University sociology Prof. Tom Petee, co-editor of the journal "Homicide Studies," said it's most likely this serial killer is murdering for the excitement, rather than political reasons.

"This is kind of an unusual case," Petee said. "This is some kind of thrill-kill situation, where the sniper is getting some kind of enjoyment out of killing the victims and out of the whole risk-taking situation."

Although Petee said most serial killers are middle-aged white males whose killing is tied to sexual offenses or an "Angel of Death" philosophy in which hospitalized or elderly people are targeted, he said he expects the Washington sniper is not going to fit the normal profile. Instead, he said the person police are most likely looking for is a young white male in his early to mid-20s.

"This is an intelligent killer. We're not talking about somebody with a low IQ. This is somebody who has engaged in some planning regarding these offenses. This is somebody who enjoys the attention and somebody who enjoys taunting police," he said, adding that the sniper does not necessarily have experience as a marksman.

"This is somebody who the first couple of killings could have been their first couple of killings, but this is somebody who has been building toward killing for at least a little while. ... This is somebody that maybe gets into a lot of violent video games and that would be a part of the building up process," he said. "They haven't been remarkable shots, as far as what this person has pulled off so far."

Despite the sniper's apparent success thus far, Petee said he is confident the person responsible for the shootings will be apprehended as long as he continues to kill. "He hasn't shown signs of stopping, and we don't really have any precedent for a killer that ends up stopping," Petee said. "Eventually, there is going to be some witnesses who can actually identify him, or the police will outright catch the person in the act."