San Francisco police arrested Philippe Chagniot on Wednesday and booked the former dentist for murder in the killing of his tenant, Eric Bigone, a 58-year-old man shot outside a home in the Outer Sunset on May 17. Prosecutors say Chagniot carried out the attack by lying in wait, and he is now in county jail awaiting a Friday arraignment.
The case has shaken a neighborhood where Bigone had lived since 2023 and where, police say, Chagniot’s family owned the house on 46th Avenue. Investigators said surveillance video showed a man dressed in dark clothing riding up on a bicycle with his face covered and carrying a long gun on the morning of the shooting. Bigone was leaving for work around 5:30 a.m. when he was struck, and authorities say he was later found with multiple gunshot wounds. Chagniot was arrested at his home, where investigators also recovered evidence tied to the case.
Police Chief Derrick Lew said Thursday that Chagniot was Bigone’s landlord, confirming what friends of the victim had already been saying privately. One friend said Bigone had told people about disputes with his landlord, including an alleged effort to sell the house without paying for him to relocate. Those tensions now sit at the center of a murder case that prosecutors say included assault with a firearm and possession of a silencer, charges that could send Chagniot to prison for life if he is convicted.
The killing is drawing attention not only because of the violence, but because of who the accused is. Chagniot had been licensed to practice dentistry in California since 1985, once ran a practice near Stonestown, and is listed online as the operator of a dental practice now marked permanently closed. He also lives in Ingleside in a home his family owns. That background stands in stark contrast to the allegations that he approached Bigone’s residence in the early morning, set fire to the top of Bigone’s car, and then shot him in the back with an automatic firearm fitted with a silencer before firing more rounds as he stood over him.
Bigone’s death also reopened a much older chapter in his life. In 2004, he killed someone in a drunk driving accident and later served years in prison. After his release, friends said he worked as a laborer for the SFPUC and became a steady presence for others trying to rebuild their lives. Gerald Cypert, who met Bigone in prison in 2016, said he was “a stand-up guy” who took sobriety seriously and was a positive influence on younger offenders. His mother remembered him as “such a giving person” and said he was “full of love, grace, generosity, and fun.”
A GoFundMe set up for Bigone’s son and grandchildren had raised about $6,600, underscoring how many lives the death touched beyond the street where it happened. His funeral is scheduled for June 10 at 10:30 a.m. at Saint Anne of the Sunset. For now, the case turns on the evidence police say they collected Wednesday and the allegations prosecutors plan to press when Chagniot appears in court Friday.
