EXCLUSIVE: Behind the scenes look at FBI, Kash Patel’s hockey game honoring fallen officers

FBI Director Kash Patel joined the Chicago field office over the weekend to play in an annual hockey tournament honoring fallen officers across the country.

The Daily Caller exclusively obtained photos of the hockey game and the field offices honoring the fallen officers from New York, Boston, Chicago and Detroit. The fallen officers honored during the tournament included Jeremy Cole of the Endicott College Police Department, Clay Matthew Carns of the Illinois State Police, Brad Reckling of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and Jonathan Diller of the New York Police Department. (RELATED: Americans Are Applying To Work For Kash Patel’s FBI At Historic Rates)

Patel played on the Chicago field office team, which claimed the championship over the New York field office in a 3-1 victory.

“Being a part of an event like this is an honor and a humbling reminder of just how much the men and women on the front lines risk for their neighbors every day. Jeremy Cole, Clay Matthews Carns, Brad Reckling, and Jonathan Diller will never be forgotten — and this FBI will always have the backs of law enforcement across the country,” Patel told the Caller.

After claiming the big win, Dan and Patti Carns, the parents of Clay, joined the team on the ice to receive the championship trophy.

[Carns’ father joins the Chicago field office on the ice after their win. Photo Credit: Obtained By The Daily Caller]

“Director Patel’s top priority is supporting the good agents, good cops, and their brave families who do the hard work of keeping Americans safe — and this was a great event to support an even better cause of lifting up four families of fallen officers who died in the line of duty. We are grateful for them and their service,” FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson said.

Carns, a 35-year-old Illinois State Trooper, was killed in the line of duty in December 2024 after a vehicle hit him while he was removing debris from the freeway, police said.

“To the public, Clay became a hero on December 23, 2024, when he was killed in the line of duty. To his family, he has always been a hero. Our world has been shattered, and we will never be the same. But we take comfort in knowing that he lived his life with such purpose, he loved his family and friends fiercely, and he took great pride in his work,” Carns’s family wrote in a statement following his death.

Cole, who had served as a police officer for Endicott College for 15 years, was killed in November after completing his shift at the school. Driving home, Cole, known as  “J. Cole” around campus, was hit head on by a vehicle going the wrong way, according to the college.

“J. Cole was the consummate student-focused representative of the Endicott community. I witnessed his interactions with students at athletics events, in the dining hall, at open house events and during his everyday duties on campus. He was loved and respected by all at the Nest. Eileen and I will miss his genuine kindness and his warm sense of humor,” Endicott College President Steven R. DiSalvo wrote in a statement following Cole’s passing.

[Cole is honored on the ice. Photo Credit: obtained by the Daily Caller]

Reckling, 30, was shot and killed in June 2024 after following a stolen vehicle in Detroit, police said. While being followed, the driver of the stolen car abruptly stopped, then suspects exited and fired at the officer, according to CBS News. Authorities charged three teens in connection to Reckling’s death, a local Detroit outlet reported in October. One of the accused pleaded guilty in March.

“Deputy Reckling was a hero. He was an absolute hero. He did what we all love doing and that is keeping our respective communities safe,” Detroit Police Department Chief James White said in October. “He came to work like we all do any day of the week. He laid his life on the line. He was in our city pursuing someone for auto theft, stumbled on to something much bigger than he even thought.”

[Diller is honored at the FBI hockey game. Photo credit: obtained by the Daily Caller.]

[Reckling is honored at the hockey game. Photo Credit: obtained by the Daily Caller.]

NYPD officer Jonathan Diller was shot dead during a traffic stop in March 2024. Diller was reportedly shot below his bulletproof vest while advancing on a car parked in violation of the law. Guy Rivera, the man suspected of Diller’s killing, has been arrested 21 previous times, the New York Post reported.

Trump attended Diller’s wake last year while former President Joe Biden also visited New York City for a glitzy fundraiser.

“We have to get back to law and order. We have to do a lot of things differently. This is not working. This is happening too often,” Trump said after visiting the funeral home with Diller’s family.