The global Sikh community is in mourning following a shooting in a Sikh temple or Gurdwara, outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

READ MORE: Wisconsin shooting hits close to home for Calgarian

A former member of the American military, Wade Michael Page, aged 40, has been indentified as the gunman by police.

Police in Oak Creek, Wisconsin received an unintelligible call on August 3rd at 10:25AM Central Time regarding the shooting. Officers attended the scene and fatally shot Page, the officer was in turn shot multiple times at close range and is currently in critical condition.

Worshippers inside the church phoned and sent text messages to family members during the incident, asking that they not return their calls as they were in hiding.

A pair of semi-automatic handguns were retrieved from the scene of the crime.

Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards, speaking at an afternoon news conference, said that authorities are treating the shooting as a "domestic terrorist-type incident".

The FBI is leading an investigation into the shooting.