Conversation so far:
who are the main characters on criminal minds
The main characters of Criminal Minds are Dr. Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau, Penelope Garcia, Emily Prentiss, David Rossi, Dr. Tara Lewis, Luke Alvez, and Matt Simmons.
who are the former main characters in criminal minds
The former main characters of Criminal Minds are Jason Gideon, Elle Greenaway, Ashley Seaver, Dr. Alex Blake, Kate Callahan, Derek Morgan, Aaron Hotchner, and Stephen Walker
how was jason gideon written out of criminal minds
In the season ten episode Nelson's Sparrow, Jason Gideon was murdered off screen, having been shot dead at a close range by a serial killer named Donnie Mallick.

Question: what did the actor say when he left the show
Self-contained rewrite: what did mandy patinkin say when he left criminal minds