Residents of a Kalihi neighborhood were on edge Thursday as police investigated a possible homicide initially reported as an accidental death.

Officers on Thursday canvassed the area on Waterhouse Street near Gulick Avenue, where a car was initially reported to have accidentally rolled over a 36-year-old man Wednesday, causing his death.

“We feel unsafe,” said Maria Nita Gonzaga, 36. Her 5-year-old son and 77-year-old mother were home at the time of the incident and told Gonzaga they heard a loud gunshot. “That’s why I told them, ‘Don’t open the door.’”

Honolulu police homicide Lt. Phillip Lavarias said that the Vehicular Homicide Section requested the homicide detail to assist in investigating the death. “Evidence was uncovered that leads us to believe this was not a simple motor vehicle collision,” Lavarias said.

Lavarias declined to comment on the evidence but said detectives are trying to find more evidence.

The city Medical Examiner’s Office on Thursday identified the victim as Kyen Knowles, 36, of Honolulu, but no cause of death was available Thursday afternoon.

Ran Calledo, 13, said, “I only heard the gunshot.” He added, “When I went out, I saw the guy laying down. He was under the car.”

The teen said he saw another man running away from the scene.

Police said Wednesday the victim parked his 1991 Lexus at about 5 p.m., started to get out, and the car, apparently still in gear, reversed, causing him to fall, and the sedan ran over him.

A man who lives in a nearby apartment, who declined to give his name, said he was in the shower at the time. “We heard the bang and everybody came out. I’m not sure what kind — just a big bang,” he said.

The man said the victim’s car was in the middle of Waterhouse Street. The rear of the Lexus had struck the rear of another parked car, the man said, and Knowles’ body was under the front left tire of his vehicle.

A security camera at a convenience store caught part of the incident, police said Wednesday.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The case was reclassified Thursday as an unattended death.