Hunt for the shooter of Charlie Kirk enters third day in the US

The vast manhunt for the shooter who killed right-wing activist Charlie Kirk stretched into a third day on Friday, after police released fresh images in an effort to crack a case that has raised tensions in the United States.

The gunman fired a single, fatal shot into Kirk -- a 31-year-old who rallied youth support for President Donald Trump -- during an appearance at a Utah university on Wednesday.

Despite hundreds of agents from across 20 law enforcement agencies working the case, investigators appealed for the public's help on Thursday and unveiled new images of a man they want to question.

"We cannot do our job without the public's help," Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters, adding they had received more than 7,000 leads.

The images released Thursday showed a man wearing Converse shoes, a black baseball cap, dark sunglasses, and what appeared to be jeans, with a long-sleeved top emblazoned with a design that included an American flag.

Police say they believe the shooter fired a single bullet from a rooftop up to 200 yards (180 meters) away, hitting Kirk in the neck.

A video played at the press conference shows a figure running across a roof at the university, then jumping to the ground and making his way off campus towards some trees -- apparently the location where a high-powered bolt-action rifle was recovered.

Cox, the Utah governor, said his state "will pursue the death penalty" when the shooter is captured.

AFP