The parents of Krystle Dikes spoke to the public for the first time since their daughter was shot and killed at the Martin’s Super Market shooting in Elkhart, Indiana where she worked, on Jan. 16.

Parents Shaun Dikes and Juanita Whitacre joined stepmother Charlotte Dikes and stepfather David Whitacre at the First Baptist Church in Elkhart to speak about their daughter who was gunned down along with shopper 44-year-old Rachelle Godfread.

Krystle Dikes went to high school with the gunman, 22-year-old gunman Shawn Walter Bair, who was shot and killed by police during the incident, but her parents do not know if she had any sort of relationship with him.

“She knew so many people. It’s entirely possible she knew him. She knew everybody, it seemed like,” Whitacre said. “But as far as any prior relationship, we have no clue.”

“She was strong, free-willed, and proudly marched to her own tune,” Shaun Dikes said.

“She took to people who had problems and tried to help them,” Juaninta Whitacre echoed. “She was there for them in their hour of need.”

Juanita Whitacre said she and her daughter had lunch at Martin’s Super Market deli the day of the shooting. She told reporters that she dropped Krystle off at a friend’s house and that was the last time she saw her daughter.

“We talked about jobs. We talked about boys. We talked about school. We talked about all the things moms talk about with their daughters,” Whitacre said. “We talked about her possibly going to live with her grandpa, or living with her father or me. We talked about all the possibilities she had.”

Describing their 20-year-old daughter as a girl who would help anyone, Dikes and Whitacre thanked the thousands of people who sent messages of support through emails, text messages, phone calls and through social media.

Krystle Dikes, victim of the Martin's shooting in Elkhart: RIP pic.twitter.com/F2DOGFP7h4

— Croakie (@croakerqueen) January 16, 2014

@FaraMomen Indiana shooting victims Krystle Dikes and Rachelle Godfread will always be remembered – http://t.co/ApvTSO59zc

— ♔Maliheh♔ (@Maliheh_) January 18, 2014

Krystle’s dad thanked the Elkhart police and called them heroes.

“They courageously risked their lives so that more families don’t have to feel our pain,” he said.

Step-mom Charlotte Dykes said healing would take time and the emotional scar would last a lifetime.

“They say time heal all wounds,” Charlotte Dikes said.”This is a wound that will never be healed.”

Image via YouTube