Three days after the incident, the FBI took over the investigation. Since then, not a jot of information has been made public, for month after month after month. Among the basic questions that have gone unanswered, and to which Mr. Barr should seek answers, are:

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Why have the identities of the Park Police officers not been disclosed?

Why did they violate standard police practice, first by giving chase following a minor accident and second by drawing their guns when approaching Ghaisar’s car?

Why did they open fire on Ghaisar, who was unarmed and, judging from video evidence, posed no threat?

Given the existence of clear dash-cam video, recorded by a Fairfax County police car that tailed the Park Police, why would the FBI go nearly 16 months without presenting any investigative conclusions either to the Ghaisar family or to the public?

Why has FBI Director Christopher A. Wray ignored a letter sent last December by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), then-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, seeking information on the status of the investigation? Why have FBI officials disregarded a half-dozen follow-up attempts by Mr. Grassley’s staff?

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Why has Mr. Wray similarly ignored a request to meet from Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), in whose district the shooting occurred?

As Mr. Grassley said in his letter to Mr. Wray, investigations into deadly police shootings “should be handled in a manner that reinforces public confidence in law enforcement.” The FBI’s almost-16-month silence in the Ghaisar investigation does the opposite. It subverts public confidence and generates suspicions that the agency, and possibly the Park Police, are engaged in a coverup.

Mr. Grassley’s letter to Mr. Wray was a straightforward request for information: Had the FBI completed its investigation? If not, when would it be complete, and would an update be provided in the meantime to the Senate Judiciary Committee? Further, the senator asked whether the agency would commit to providing the committee with a copy of the final investigative report. He asked that the FBI director respond by Dec. 28.

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The FBI’s conduct in the Ghaisar investigation is a case study in stonewalling, arrogance and non-accountability. Mr. Barr should act immediately to address it.