'Crappy landlord but a very nice guy': Friends hope the best for Chris Gatley

It would be tough to find a better deal.

A large two-bedroom home with a nice yard for $450 a month.

Aesthetically, Tyler Johnson said, the house he rented on North Franklin Street in Springfield looked great.

Under the surface, however, there were issues. The heat never seemed to work consistently and the pipes were prone to freezing when the temperature dropped.

And when something went wrong, Johnson said he could never seem to get his landlord — Chris Gatley — to answer the phone or return messages.

Despite the headaches, Johnson said he still thinks highly of Gatley, whom he met twice — once when Johnson stopped by the 417 Rentals office and then again in court when Gatley sued Johnson for being late with the rent.

More: Chris Gatley, owner of 417 Rentals, shot Sunday in Greene County

Related: Gatley bankruptcy dismissed, paving the way for banks to foreclose on 417 Rentals

"He was super friendly," Johnson said. "He was a crappy landlord, but a very nice guy."

Johnson said he was shocked when he heard the news that Gatley had been shot Sunday at a property on Highway 60 in Greene County.

The Greene County Sheriff's Office has described Gatley's injuries as life-threatening. And as of Tuesday morning, he was in critical condition.

Deputies have not commented on the circumstances surrounding the shooting, but a recording of the radio traffic on Broadcastify.com indicates the 911 call came from a girlfriend who claimed she shot Gatley by accident.

Many people in Springfield have complicated feelings about Gatley, whose 417 Rentals company controls about 500 residential properties in the area.

Gatley, 48, is going through bankruptcy proceedings, with court filings indicating his company owes 13 banks more than $19 million.

A Springfield city attorney once described Gatley's rental operation as a "public menace," citing the thousands of complaints the city has received about his properties. Gatley also faced a criminal charge in Christian County for his inaction on a rental property issue.

When Gatley's name was in the news this week, many former tenants took to social media to express their frustrations in dealing with Gatley.

But those who are close to Gatley see him differently — as a hard-working man who liked fitness and was always willing to help a friend in need.

"If you ever needed anything, he was there for you," said Ted Reed, Gatley's longtime friend.

Reed said he and Gatley were fraternity brothers in Pi Kappa Alpha at then-Southwest Missouri State University in the early 1990s. They've kept in touch and last saw each other at a friend's funeral in 2015.

Now, Reed said he hopes to get the opportunity to do all the things he and Gatley talked about doing but hadn't followed through on — like hunting or water skiing.

"He was always a down-to-earth guy," Reed said.

During their college years, Reed said he, Gatley and their other friends did many of the typical fraternity brother activities like going out to bars, working out or spending time at the lake.

As they grew up, Reed said Gatley became a bit of a workaholic.

"He never took a vacation at all," Reed said. "That's all he did was work."

Reed said throughout their friendship, he's always known Gatley to be frugal — and perhaps that showed in how Gatley handles his rental properties.

"Always a bargainer," Reed said. "He always tried to make the most out of a buck."

Reed said Monday night he had not heard anything specific about how Gatley was doing in the hospital.

The Greene County Sheriff's Office has not announced any arrests in connection with Sunday's shooting, which was reported just before 1 p.m. The case is still under investigation.

More: Chris Gatley, owner of 417 Rentals, shot Sunday in Greene County

More: Gatley bankruptcy dismissed, paving the way for banks to foreclose on 417 Rentals