Share and Follow
Left inset: Daniel Rombach (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Danielle Little (GoFundMe). Background: The Arizona apartment complex where Daniel Rombach allegedly shot and killed Danielle Little, a mom of seven who owed him $100 (AZ Family/YouTube).
An unfortunate series of events that began as a minor car accident spiraled into a tragic confrontation, ultimately resulting in the death of an Arizona mother of seven. This heartbreaking incident unfolded in front of her children, as reported by the police.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, and corroborated by the victim’s sister via local media outlet AZ Family, the conflict stemmed from a $100 debt. Danielle Little, aged 35, had allegedly promised to settle this debt with her neighbor, Daniel Rombach Jr., after accidentally backing into his vehicle. However, when Rombach, 21, confronted her with a pistol, the situation escalated dramatically.
During the altercation, Little purportedly challenged Rombach, saying, “Do it, p—y,” and added, “You won’t do it, p—y, in front of my kids.” Unfortunately, Rombach, who resided in the same apartment complex, did indeed shoot Little at point-blank range, causing her to fall to the ground, as detailed in the affidavit.
Rombach later expressed to the authorities that it was never his intention to shoot Little, claiming that he forgot the gun he was wielding lacked a safety mechanism. The affidavit further notes his expression of remorse over the fatal incident.
“Daniel expressed remorse for shooting her,” the document says.
Little’s husband told investigators that Rombach had confronted Little that day after her son “broke” a lawn ornament outside of an apartment unit that was near Rombach’s unit. Rombach allegedly heard the son apologizing and stepped outside to ask Little where the $100 was that she owed him.
“[Rombach] confronted the victim about $100 she agreed to pay them for a minor collision that occurred a month earlier,” the affidavit says. Little’s husband was with her at the time of the confrontation and their children inside their apartment hearing everything.
“During the argument, [Little’s husband] observed Daniel produce a handgun from his waistband,” the affidavit recounts, noting how the husband backed up “as he knew his children were behind him,” per police.
“[The husband] heard the victim say to Daniel, ‘You f—ing p—y, you’re bringing out a gun, and you’re not gonna shoot me in front of my kids,’” according to the court document. “Daniel pointed the gun at the victim and fired one round. … and Daniel walked back to his apartment.”
Little’s husband allegedly put his kids back in his apartment and then attempted to kick Rombach’s door in, but was unsuccessful. “Moments later, officers arrived on scene,” the affidavit says.
Little’s husband told police he heard her saying “next time, be a man and say it to my face, don’t write a note” regarding him wanting the $100 she said she’d pay for the fender bender.
Little’s sister told AZ Family that there were “no scratches or anything” on Rombach’s car but Little still promised to pay him. However, she needed some extra time because she was low on money after paying her rent.
“She’s like, ‘I’ll pay you 100 bucks. Don’t call the cops,’” the sister, Hailey Byer, recalled.
“She didn’t have a lot of money but she was gonna pay it back in two weeks,” Byer said. “She didn’t have the money to pay that $100. She had to pay rent.”
Describing the confrontation, Byer told AZ Family, “Punch her, slap her. Don’t shoot her. She has seven kids.”
Rombach was arrested and booked into the Maricopa County Jail. He faces one count of second-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond.