Editing D.C. sniper attacks (section)

==Public reaction==
With seven shooting victims, including six deaths, in the first 15 hours of the D.C. area spree, the North American media soon devoted extensive coverage to the shootings. By the middle of October 2002, all news television networks provided live coverage of the aftermath of each attack, with the coverage often lasting for hours at a time. The [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] show ''[[America's Most Wanted]]'' devoted an entire episode to the shooters in hopes of aiding in their capture. Much of the coverage of the case in ''[[The New York Times]]'' was written by [[Jayson Blair]] and subsequently found to be fabricated. The ensuing scandal resulted in the resignations of the newspaper's two top editors, [[Howell Raines]] and [[Gerald M. Boyd|Gerald Boyd]].

During the weeks when the attacks occurred, public fear mounted of the apparently random shootings,  especially in relation to such sites as service stations and parking lots of large stores, where many had taken place. People pumping gasoline at gas stations kept moving, hoping to present a smaller target. Also, many people with access tried to fuel their vehicles at the naval base of the [[Walter Reed National Military Medical Center|National Naval Medical Center]] in [[Bethesda, Maryland]], as they felt it was safer inside the guarded fence. Government buildings such as the [[White House]], [[U.S. Capitol]], and [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court building]], and memorial tourist attractions at the [[National Mall]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], also received heightened security.  For the duration of the attacks, [[United States Senate Page|United States Senate pages]] received a driven police escort to and from the United States Capitol every day and were not allowed to leave their [[Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence|residence hall]] for any reason except work. Drivers of white vans and box trucks were viewed with suspicion from other motorists as initial media reports indicated the suspect might be driving such a vehicle.<ref>{{cite web |author=Marbella |first1=Jean |last2=Fenton |first2=Justin |last3=Burris |first3=Joe |date=March 4, 2015 |title=Shootings recall images of D.C snipers in 2002 |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-fort-meade-sniper-20150304-story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925100829/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-fort-meade-sniper-20150304-story.html |archive-date=September 25, 2015 |access-date=September 10, 2015 |work=BaltimoreSun.com }}</ref>

After the specific threat against children was delivered, many school groups curtailed field trips and outdoors athletic activities based upon safety concerns. At the height of the public fear, some school districts, such as [[Henrico County Public Schools]] and [[Hanover County]] Public Schools, after the Ponderosa shooting, closed school for the day. Other schools, such as the [[MJBHA]], canceled all outdoor activities after the shooting at the Connecticut and Aspen Hill intersection. Others changed after-school procedures for parents to pick up their kids to minimize the amount of time children spent in the open. Extra police officers were placed in schools because of this fear. [[Joel Schumacher]]'s film ''[[Phone Booth (film)|Phone Booth]]'' was deemed potentially upsetting enough that its release was delayed until April 2003.<ref>{{cite book |last=Moose |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Moose |author2=Charles Fleming |author-link2=Charles Fleming (author) |title=Three Weeks in October: The Manhunt for the Serial Sniper |publisher=Penguin Group (USA) |isbn=978-0-451-21279-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/threeweeksinocto00char/page/370 370] |date=September 15, 2003 |title-link=Three Weeks in October: The Manhunt for the Serial Sniper }}</ref>