A knife-wielding, schizophrenic woman shot by an Orange County sheriff’s deputy sent to check on her welfare has sued the county in federal court for alleged excessive force.
The shooting left former supermodel Britany Tranckino a paraplegic — the tragic outcome of an incident that began because she was sobbing too loudly at her home. Tranckino once graced the pages of Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire magazines and was the first runner-up in the Ford Models’ Supermodel of the World competition in 2004.
Two deputies were dispatched to her home in Dana Point at 4:12 a.m. on March 28, 2025, to do a welfare check after a neighbor reported a woman inside screaming and crying.
According to body-worn camera footage released by the Sheriff’s Department, the deputies knocked on the door twice and announced themselves as law enforcement. Tranckino, 38, rushed out of the doorway brandishing a large knife, but turned to run back inside when she saw the deputies a few feet away, according to the video.
One unidentified deputy immediately fired four shots, hitting Tranckino on her right side, injuring her spine, according to the video and her attorney. She can been seen lying in the entryway, saying again and again, “Please God, save my soul,” her right hand still clutching the knife as the deputy repeatedly ordered her to drop it.
“At the time of the shooting, Ms. Tranckino was not posing an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the deputies or to anyone else,” the suit said. “She had lowered the kitchen knife, turned away from the deputies, and was retreating into her own home. Her back was to the deputies when she was shot.”
The suit questioned why deputies didn’t use less-than-lethal weapons — such as a Taser, which they had — or try to deescalate the situation.
Tranckino was cuffed and arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, a charge that ultimately was dropped, said her attorney, Cooper Mayne.
Mayne said Tranckino thought intruders were at the door, not deputies sent to make sure she was alright.
“As soon as she realized there’s officers with guns out, she turns around. But it was too late,” Mayne said.
The lawsuit and dispatch recordings released by the department indicate deputies had past interactions with Tranckino as someone with mental health problems. The suit said that in prior contacts with Tranckino, deputies were assisted by a Crisis Assessment Team, comprised of professionals trained in working with those in mental duress.
But no team was dispatched on this night.
“A mental health team could have handled the situation in a way that doesn’t end in a young girl being paralyzed,” Mayne said.
“She’s a very sweet girl. She’s got some mental health issues, but when she’s on her medication, she’s pretty stable,” he added. “It’s one of many cases in California where a mental health call tragically ends with someone being (shot).”
The Sheriff’s Department said it does not comment on pending litigation.