Kash Patel remained silent as Utah officials on Thursday night released surveillance video and appealed to the public for help locating the person who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a development that intensified scrutiny of Patel's handling of the bureau and its local leadership.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox showed video of a man fleeing the scene at Utah Valley University and said authorities had received more than 7,000 tips and conducted more than 200 interviews as they pursued leads. The FBI director traveled to Utah for the briefing but did not take questions or address reporters. Officials said the investigation had generated tips spanning a wide geographic area and asked the public to report sightings of a man wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt with an American flag on the chest, a gray baseball cap marked with a triangle, sunglasses and carrying a black backpack.
The presence and performance of Patel — a prominent ally of former President Donald Trump who has overseen recent leadership changes at the FBI's Salt Lake City office — have drawn sharp criticism in the wake of inaccurate public statements and internal turmoil. In the hours after the shooting, Patel publicly said a suspect was in custody; that assertion proved incorrect and was broadly criticized. A White House official speaking on background told Reuters that Patel's erroneous public statement was "unprofessional" and that "his performance is really not acceptable to the White House or the American public" and would be addressed internally. The White House press office pushed back against that characterization, with spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt saying the reporting was "despicable" and that Patel had the backing of former President Trump as he led the manhunt.
News reports also described tense exchanges inside the bureau. The New York Times reported that Patel convened an expletive-laden conference call with more than 200 FBI personnel Thursday morning in which he described aspects of the search as a "Mickey Mouse operation," accused some employees of failing to provide up-to-date information, and said the local FBI did not show him a photo of the suspected shooter for about 12 hours.
Patel's critics pointed to personnel decisions in Utah as evidence of weakened local capacity. Mehtab Syed, the special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City FBI office, was removed from that post in August after a six-month tenure and chose to retire rather than accept a reassignment, according to former colleagues and reporting by NBC News. Former agents described Syed as an experienced leader who had handled major national-security cases and praised her as "legendary." Associate Deputy Director J. William Rivers, who works for Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, told Syed she was not a good fit for the office, sources told NBC.
Former FBI agent Christopher O'Leary, who worked with Syed and is now an MSNBC national security contributor, told NBC that Syed was "a humble servant leader" who treated co-workers like family and had a distinguished career that included roles in counterterrorism and counterintelligence.
Officials said the search had yielded no immediate confirmation of the suspect's whereabouts. Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason told NBC News, "We have no idea" whether the suspect remains in Utah or has crossed state lines. Mason said investigators were pursuing tips for individuals who live nearby as well as leads that reach farther afield.
Investigators released additional surveillance images and footage showing the person of interest running across a campus roof, climbing down and jumping to the ground, and moving up and down stairs. Authorities urged the public to report any information that could help identify or locate the individual.
The manhunt and questions about bureau management unfolded roughly 36 hours after the fatal shooting of Kirk, 31, a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA. University and law enforcement officials described a chaotic response in the immediate aftermath as state and federal agents coordinated the search and information flow.
Social media reaction to Patel's presence at the briefing was immediate and critical. Some users mocked him for his silence or demeanor during the event, while others focused on the earlier incorrect statement about an arrest. Media accounts and anonymous sources that spoke to Reuters and The New York Times highlighted internal frustration and confusion surrounding the investigation's early hours and the flow of information to leadership.
In the briefing, Gov. Cox emphasized reliance on public assistance, saying investigators "cannot do our job without the public's help right now." He described the released images as distinctive and urged anyone with relevant information to contact authorities.
Federal and state officials did not announce a timeline for further public updates and declined to offer an assessment of whether the suspect was likely to be apprehended soon. Investigators continued to collect tips and follow up on leads as they work to piece together the shooter's movements before and after the attack. The investigation remains active and ongoing as law enforcement seeks confirmation of the suspect's identity and location.